Devil Fantasy XIII: Wishes are Eternal
by Da-Awesom-One
Summary: After Nero is brought to Fortuna by a mysterious being, he ends up in the world of Cocoon and meets new companions. Now the group must escape a corrupt government. But how will Nero react when an enemy from his past returns? (Prologue & Ch. 1-3 Revamped; CURRENTLY GOING THROUGH THE PROCESS OF REVISION.)
1. Prologue: The fal'Cie

**DISCLAIMER: Capcom and Square-Enix own DMC and FFXIII respectively. This story was written for the enjoyment of reading and writing purposes only. No profit is being made out of this.**

**Updated: 1-25-14**

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><p>Prologue- The fal'Cie<p>

Six figures walked into the chamber that housed the fal'Cie.

One of these people, a boy, spoke up with a shaky voice. "So this thing... is the fal'Cie?"

The boy was light-skinned, had silver hair, and bluish-green eyes. He wore a short-sleeve orange and yellow jacket that his a black shirt, while a green detailed neckerchief covered his collar. Black gloves with white palms were on his hands, while a yellow wristband was on the left glove. He also wore deep green pants, and a black storage pack hanging from his belt. A pair of green shoes were on his feet.

"Yep. That's it all right," said another man.

This man was middle aged and dark skinned. He wore an olive coat, which hid a white buttoned-down shirt underneath. He also wore beige khaki trousers and black buckled-engineer shoes. His most noticeable feature was the large, black afro on his head. It housed a round, golden feathered baby chick.

The other boy looked in confusion. "So that's a fal'Cie, huh? Didn't expect it to look like a robot."

He had blue eyes, light skin, and silver hair, like the timid boy. He wore a long blue coat with red symbols on both shoulders. Under his coat was a red, sleeveless zip-up hoodie which hid a navy muscle shirt underneath. The lad also wore blue pants, with a brown leather pistol holder on the left, and a pair of brown boots. His left arm held a black band over his wrist, and a silver ring, with a rose design on its face, on his ring finger. His most noticeable, and somewhat shocking, feature was his right arm. It was somewhat disfigured and nearly draconic. His claws, palm, and forehand illuminated the room with its blue skin, with a large blue crack in the middle of his forearm. The rest of his arm was covered in red organic flesh, with a spike protruding from his elbow. Purple strap-like flesh covered the top part of his arm.

Another man stepped up to the being. He wore a black bandanna, which hid his light blond hair, and was light skinned. A stubble beard was on his chin. His blue eyes looked at the being with defiance. He wore a long beige trench coat and a light blue vest under it. His black gloves squelched as they clasped, as he stepped forth with his large gray combat boots.

He called to the fal'Cie. "You got what you wanted! Serah's a crystal now. She completed her Focus! Now let her go!"

The group waited for the creature to respond, but they were only met with silence.

Suddenly, the man fell on his knees. "Please! Turn her back! I- I'll be your l'Cie instead! Just let her go!" he pleaded.

The blue coated boy groaned in annoyance. He knew that simply asking it was not getting them anywhere. "You guys sure this thing isn't a statue? It's just sitting there."

Then, as if in response to his statement, one of them, a female, stepped forward. Her right hand reached for the black case strapped behind her. She wore a sleeveless, white overcoat, with a red cape attached behind her left shoulder, and a brown turtleneck-like shirt with a zipper. A green metallic pauldron with yellow stripes covered her left shoulder, while a long black sleeve covered her left arm. Two blue finger-less gloves, with golden bullet holders on the forehand, were on both of her hands. A pair of brown boots, with gray straps, was on her feet, while a red ammunition pack was strapped to her left thigh. She wore a brown mini-skirt over high-topped shorts. She had pale aqua eyes, clear skin, and light pink hair, her most noticeable feature.

She got out her weapon, a prototype gunblade. "Fine, you go on begging! Like this thing gives a damn about what we want!"

She charged at the fal'Cie and slashed at it, but to no avail.

"Lightning!" The man called out as he got up.

Everyone turned their attention to the woman, Lightning. "It's this thing's fault that the Purge started, and its people who are dying. Serah told us to save Cocoon, which means that this thing needs to die!"

"That's the first thing I've heard today that makes sense," said the older boy.

He clenched his disfigured right arm, before reaching for the weapon strapped to his back, a customized durandal sword. In moments, the fal'Cie begins to respond to the group.

The other silver-haired boy panics and runs away from the group. He is about to reach the exit, only to be cut off by a magical field with an ominous symbol on it.

The boy fell on his rear but is helped up by a girl with bright red hair that was tied into curled pigtails. Her green eyes looked at him in worry. She wore a light pink halter top and an orange-yellow skirt with a bear pelt around her waist. She wore a pair of beige boots, with fur around the opening socket. Around her neck were three beaded necklaces, which had various beaded extensions surrounding her attire.

"You're not fighting this alone, Sis!" exclaimed the trench coated man.

"Don't call me that! And don't get in my way, Snow!" yelled Lightning.

"Come on, now. You really think you can kill a fal'Cie?" reasoned the afro man

"Do what you want! I'm doing this for Serah!" she exclaimed.

"You don't have to fight, Sazh. We can handle it," assured the older boy.

The man, Sazh, then had a solemn look on his face, as the reason he had bothered to come to this chamber raced through his mind.

"Dajh..." he whispered.

The baby chick on his afro suddenly popped out of his hair, and chirped encouragingly. Hearing it, his solemn look became one of determination.

"I'm in," he affirmed. "Hope you guys don't mind amateurs."

The man pulled out a pair of black pistols from the holsters on the sides of his trousers. "I've got these guns, so I might as well use them."

The other man, Snow, smiled in appreciation, before raising his fists in a fighting stance.

Lightning only looked over her shoulder. "Thanks."

The boy watched the fal'Cie, as his sword leaned on his shoulders. "I know devils can cry. But can a fal'Cie even feel anything?"

Grinning in anticipation, the boy then shoved his sword into the ground, before twisting the top part of his sword's handle. This caused a loud engine noise to erupt from the blade.

"Guess we're just gonna have to find out!"

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><p><em>Looking back, I realize that our fight with that thing was the day our fates were intertwined permanently. We didn't even know it yet, but that was the first of many battles we would take part in. It all started that day, when we were marked, and became l'Cie.<em>

_ But even that wasn't what connected us. No. It happened way later, on that starry night. That night, we made a promise to see everything to the end, and to make sure we made it together. But the road to the end was not gonna be easy. We had to overcome monsters, weapons, and ultimately, ourselves. _

_My name is Nero. I'm a descendant of the demon warrior Sparda, and a l'Cie. And this is my story. The story of how the battle within began._

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><p><strong>Devil Fantasy XIII<strong>

**-Wishes are Eternal-**


	2. Awakening

**Updated: 5-12-14**

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><p><strong>Devil May Cry- Awakening<strong>

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><p><strong>-Day 1-<strong>

**-Earth-**

**-New York City - Devil May Cry-**

A door opened, which released the steam on the other side. Out of the room came a shirtless man, with a toned body, who was washing his silver hair with a white towel. He wore black leather pants, with a detailed silver belt buckle fastened to keep it up. Black boots were hidden underneath the sleeves of the pants. The man's blue eyes glanced at the black shirt with straps on top of the chair at his desk. He grabbed it and put it on by closing the zipper, and connecting the three buckles on the straps.

Then, a sound was heard from his desk. Looking to the side, the man realized that the phone on it was ringing. Groaning, the man kicked the desk, which caused the receiver to be flung into the air. It rose above the man, but fell right into the palm of his hand.

Sighing, the man put the receiver up to his ear. "'Devil May Cry'."

He listened to the person on the other end. "Oh, it's you, Morrison. What's up?"

A pause. "You're coming by today? What, you got another odd job for me and the kid?"

He said nothing. "Why do we need everyone together? Is this really that big of a deal?"

The man smirked at his dialer's response. "In that case, why the suspense? What's so big that…"

He listened to his liaison's answer, and his grin instantly fell. "Alright then. You called Lady already?"

The man paused. "Good. Trish was already out when I woke up; probably went to go shopping. She should be here by the time you arrive."

He then chuckled. "Try stopping a she-devil from wasting your hard-earned money. Then you'll understand why I don't stop her from increasing my debt."

Smiling, he bade farewell. "Alright. See you then."

The man then placed the receiver back on top of the phone, before sitting down and propping his legs on top of his desk.

He shook his head. "Today's gonna be busy."

Deciding to entertain himself before the meeting, the man looked at his copy of "Two HandGun" magazine on his desk, and reached for it. He then opened it, and began to "read" the pictures.

**-Two hours later-**

The man had been looking at the magazine for a good while, and looked at the clock in the wall, and blinked. It was now 12 p.m.

"Time sure does fly when you're doin' nothing," he muttered as flipped through another page.

Suddenly, a loud snore interrupted him. Arching an eyebrow, the man peered over the top of the magazine in his hands. His eyes looked throughout the room for the source of the sound. After a few seconds, he found it; a large blue lump was asleep on top of the red leather couch in the receiving area of the shop. A hand was outstretched on top of the short circular table, with a bottle of beer in its clutches. Littered around the couch were more empty bottles of the same beverage.

The man sighed from his spot. "Went out drinking again, no doubt..."

Then, the front door of the shop opened, and a loud shrilly voice with it. "HELLO? DANTE! ARE YOU HERE?"

"Oh boy..." The man, Dante, groaned, as he looked back at the magazine.

The voice belonged to a young girl, with blond hair tied into a small ponytail, and blue eyes. She wore a white long sleeve buttoned shirt underneath a black school vest, and a plaid skirt. Black leggings covered her legs, while she black shoes on her feet. She carried a brown book bag over her shoulder.

The girl smiled at the man, but faltered as she almost slipped on one of the bottles on the floor. When she regained her balance, she glared furiously at Dante.

"DANTE! How many times have I told you to clean this place up?!" she chided. "I know you're a devil hunter, but if you really wanted to get noticed, then you should make this place spotless every once in a while! Maybe then, you wouldn't be in so much debt!"

The devil hunter hid his amused smirk behind the magazine. "Contrary to popular belief, Patty, that mess on the floor ain't mine. The culprit's sleeping on the couch to your left."

The girl, Patty, frowned and looked to the side. Her features then softened, as she spotted the sleeping boy, and the bottle in his hand.

"He went drinking again?" she inquired worriedly.

"Unfortunately," Dante replied, as he flipped through another page.

Patty then walked over the scattered bottles, and then made her way to the devil hunter's desk. "Couldn't we do something to make him stop?"

"Well, if you had asked me that question three months ago, I would've told you to call the cops on him for underage drinking. I also would've told you to go find a loan shark, because getting him out of jail would've put me in more debt," he answered. "But he's already twenty-one; old enough to drink."

"But still, drinking like that is bad for him!" she protested.

Dante then stopped looking at his magazine, and looked right into the girl's eyes. "Look. I get that you're worried. But you gotta understand that the kid's stubborn. And considering all of the baggage he's got, getting the point through to him won't be easy. You just need give him time, is all."

The girl looked at him with concerned eyes, and then at the sleeping man.

Resigning to the man's advice, she nodded. "Alright, I guess..."

Slouching in his chair, Dante decided to change the subject. "Anyway, what're you doin' here? I thought little girls were supposed to be in school around this time?"

Patty instantly fumed at the remark, just as he had intended. "I'm not little! I'm sixteen, you jerk! And just so you know, we were let out early today! I got out thirty minutes ago."

The man rubbed his chin hairs. "Guess that explains the schoolgirl getup."

"Yeah. And we have next week off for Spring Break. So that means I get to hang out with you guys, just like back when I was sweet, cute little girl," she cheered.

"Really? I found you to be more of the bratty, annoying type," he mocked. He tilted his head to the side to avoid the oncoming beer can.

"You're such an idiot!" she raged. "And here I was thinking I would invite you to my seventeenth birthday!"

Dante arched an eyebrow. "Oh yeah. That's next weekend, right?"

She crossed her arms, and turned away from him. "Yeah. I was planning to hold it here, for you guys, too! But since you want to be a total snob, you can just forget about going."

Dante scoffed. "So let me see if I got this right. You're sayin' that you're holding a birthday party in _my_ shop, without _my_ permission, and I'm not even _invited_?"

"Exactly. That's your punishment for getting this place dirty again, and for being a jerk," she responded. "And plus, I beat you in that card game a month ago. The loser had to do anything the winner wanted, so letting me have my birthday here is the thing I want you to do. After all, I beat you fair and square!"

"Don't remind me," the devil hunter hissed as he shook his head. "Look, Patty, I'm afraid that your party may have to be moved back a bit, depending on today's meeting."

The girl's eyes dipped in confusion. "Huh? What meeting?"

"Morrison gave me a call earlier today," he explained. "Said he had an important job he wanted to talk about. Apparently, he wants me, Trish, Lady, and the kid to be here when he shows up. And if my track record is any indication, that means he's got a big job for us. And big jobs usually take a few days to complete."

Patty's eyebrows shot past her bangs. "Then that means... You guys aren't going to be here all week?"

"Depends on the job that he gives us," he shrugged.

He then eyed the sleeping man. "Speaking of which, I think it's time for the kid to wake up."

Quickly, he then reached for the black, .45 semi-automatic pistol on the side of his desk. Its grip was wooden, while the magazine casing at the bottom was gold. On the side of the grip was a picture of a dark-haired Victorian woman. The trigger guard was a hooked, two handed on, and the ejection port for the bullets was on the top left side of the gun.

Its twin on the desk was almost similar, yet it was silver instead of black. The ejection port was on the right side, while the trigger guard was a rounded one. The picture on the gun was that of a fair-haired Victorian woman.

Imbedded in gold on the black gun's right, and the silver gun's left were the words _"Ebony & Ivory,"_ while on the other side of each gun were the words _"For Tony Redgrave By .45 Art Warks."_

Dante twirled his gun, the Ebony, before aiming it right at the bottle in the sleeping man's hand. He then fired the gun, sending the bullet flying towards the bottle, where it shattered upon impact.

The noise of the gun and the shattering of the bottle instantly awoke the young man, and caused him to jump to his knees. However, he had lost his balance, and fell onto the floor.

The boy groaned in pain as he looked up at the man who fired his gun. He wore a long blue coat, with red insignias sewn on both shoulders. Under his coat was a red, sleeveless zip-up hoodie which hid a navy muscle shirt, blue pants, and brown boots. His left arm held a black band over his wrist, and a silver ring, with a rose design on its face, on his ring finger. His right arm, however, was covered entirely with black medical tape, with a red finger-less glove on his hand. The arm was held up by a white sling, making it seemingly immobile.

The boy's look of surprise quickly faded into one of fury.

Pushing himself up from the ground, the boy pointed at Dante with his left hand. "WHAT THE HELL, DANTE?! ARE TRYING TO KILL ME, YOU FUCKING BA-"

The boy stopped. Then, he gripped the side of his head, as it began to throb in pain.

"Rrrr... Headache…" he breathed.

Dante only laughed at the boy's misfortune. "Ah, headaches. The sure signs of a hangover."

The boy gritted his teeth. "Shut up..."

"Oh, and while you're at it, watch your mouth. We've got a guest," the older man chided, as he gestured at Patty with his hand.

The girl waved at the man with her hand. "Hi, Nero."

The boy, Nero, nodded at her. "Hiya, Patty."

Dante sat back on his desk. "And just so you know, we're expecting more guests soon, so try to get over your headache." He then looked at the girl. "Hey, Patty, do you mind getting Nero some water? We need to get him hydrated. An aspirin would be of some help, too. I think there's some in the kitchen."

Patty nodded at the man, and made her way into the kitchen, leaving the two demon hunters alone. Nero sat back down on the couch, while rubbing his left temple with his left hand. Dante only eyed the young lad.

"Long night?" he asked.

"Don't ask, old man," was Nero's exasperated reply.

The older hunter smirked. "Don't you mean, 'Don't ask, Boss?'"

Nero scowled in response. Since he began working with Dante, he was required to address the man as "Boss," to be reminded that he was under the demon hunter's apprenticeship.

Dante then gave the lad a serious look. "Patty's starting to worry about you, y'know. She's noticing your drinking habits."

"Then tell her to mind her own business," he snapped back.

"She ain't the only one, kid," Dante retorted. "But unlike her, I'm more concerned about how you drinking three times a week affects your job performance. You're lucky you haven't gone on a mission without drowning yourself in booze, ever since you turned twenty-one three months ago. But when you're not drinking, you're not sleeping. And that's just as bad."

Truthfully, Dante was worried about Nero as well, but did not show it in order to save face value He also knew that encouraging his behavior would only be detrimental to him in the long run.

"I don't like telling you about your drinking habits, considering what you've been through, as well as the fact that I used to do the same thing back when I was younger," he continued.

Then, Dante gave the boy a serious glare as he leaned forward from his spot. "But don't think that I'm just gonna sit here while you drink freely in my shop. You're your own man, so what you do with your body and on your own time is your business. But if I catch one glimpse of you drinking on the job, kid, then I won't hesitate to send your ass packin'."

The declaration immediately got Nero's attention, and he turned to lock eyes with the man. Both demon hybrids glared at the other, to see who would relent first.

Dante's eyes narrowed dangerously. "And no amount of crying, whining, or bitching is going to change that. You're either sober, or you're gone. _Comprende_?"

Nero's eyes angrily glared at the older man. Finally, he relented, and scoffed as he turned away. "Yeah, whatever."

Satisfied, Dante propped his legs on his desk, and slouched on his chair. "Good. Oh, and one more thing. If Patty asks you about it, try not to get fussy with her, yeah?"

Nero shrugged. "I'll keep that in mind."

At that moment, the door to the kitchen opened, and Patty came out with a glass cup of water in her right hand and two tablets of aspirin in her left hand. She offered them to Nero, and he accepted them gently.

As she watched him down the contents, she thought back to the confrontation she had overhead just a while ago. Patty had barely opened the door, when she heard Dante talk to Nero about his drinking habits. She was genuinely shocked when the older man had threatened the younger one. Patty wondered if he would actually do it.

Nero sighed, as he finished the water. "Thanks, Patty. I owe you one."

"Don't thank her yet, kid," Dante interjected. "You still got to clean up your mess around the couch. She's allowed to clean up after me, not you."

The girl growled in anger. "See? That's the kind of behavior that banned you from my birthday party!"

Nero cocked a curious eyebrow. "Oh yeah. That's next week, huh?"

"Mm-hm. I'm having it here in the shop, but Dante isn't invited. You are, though!" she assured.

"Sounds fun," he chuckled. "Imagine that: a day without Dante."

"It'll be boring," the man uttered from his desk.

Before either of the two could respond, the sound of a motorcycle engine was heard from outside.

Dante smirked. "Looks like our first guest is here. I suggest you get to cleanin', kid."

The boy groaned, before walking off into the kitchen.

A few seconds later, the front doors opened, and a woman entered. She had dark hair that went as long as her chin, with a fringe that stopped before her eyes, and fair skin. Her eyes were covered by orange sunglasses. The women took them off as she entered, revealing them to be heterochromic. Each of her two irises was of a different color; her left eye was a reddish-brown, while her left was a bluish-green. She wore a white vest with black vertical lines, matching shorts, and red gloves in her hands. She wore nothing underneath her vest, which exposed her cleavage and a thin black necklace over her neck with a red gem on it. Brown leather packs surrounded her waist, as well as two brown leather straps over her left thigh. A pair of brown leather high heel boots that stopped right before her knees were on her legs. White laces fastened them securely.

The woman had a large, black missile launcher strapped around her shoulder. A bayonet was attached below the mouth of the launcher, while various cartridges with smaller missiles were next to the exhaust port on the back. The words _"Kalina Ann"_ were embedded on the handle.

The woman placed her glasses in her pocket while she looked around the room. "Huh. I guess I'm early."

Dante nodded, as he reached for his magazine. "Yep. Trish and Morrison should be here momentarily, so sit tight."

She nodded at him, and propped her missile launcher on the wall. Patty walked over to greet her.

"Hi, Lady. It's good to see you again," she greeted.

The older woman, Lady, smiled in return. "It's good to see you too, Patty. How's everything?"

"Everything's fine! I just got out from school today, and have next week off. My birthday's coming up, and I'm having it here at the shop. You're invited, so you can come."

"Really?" Lady asked. "How did you get Dante to let you use the shop?"

"Oh, I beat him in a card game a month ago," she snickered. "And don't worry, he's not invited either."

The woman hunter smirked. "Yeah, that sounds pretty believable, considering his luck with cards."

"Remember the time I beat you in a card game?" Dante reminded.

Lady instantly glared at him. "You cheated that time, and you know it!"

The devil hunter feigned ignorance as he flipped the page. "I have no idea what you're talkin' about, Lady."

The woman gritted her teeth, but then spotted an empty can of beer on the floor. She then saw that there were more bottles around the couch near the wall.

"Nero went drinking again, didn't he?" she groaned.

"Is it that obvious?" Dante replied.

"You know, you should probably talk to him about this," she suggested. "After all, what will you do if he ends up wasting the money you owe me, and your booze?"

"If he knows what's good for him, he'll keep his claw off of my drinks," he assured. "And don't worry, I already took care of it."

Sighing, she placed her hands on her hips. "So where is that kid, anyway? Did he get so drunk, that he got himself lost?"

"I heard that!" Nero snapped, as he walked out of the kitchen with a bag in his hand.

"And just so you know, Lady, I actually clean up after myself. Unlike Boss over there," he told, as he walked past her.

"Yeah. After I tell you to get off your lazy ass, right?" Dante quipped.

"I'm lazy?! You're the lazy one around here, old man!" the boy shot back.

"'You're the lazy one around here, Boss,'" he corrected.

"Rrrgh, shut up!" Nero hissed, as he bent down to pick up the trash on the floor.

The older man laughed at himself, before giving the female hunter a serious look. "So, Lady, you got any ideas on what Morrison's job is about?"

She shrugged. "No clue... Although, he did ask me to do him a favor."

"What?"

"Well, when I received the call, he asked me to get my boat prepared, because he said that there was a good chance we might be using it for the job," she revealed.

"I see. If that's the case, then this job might be out of state," he deduced.

"Frankly, I'm just glad he didn't ask for the money I owe him," she told.

"Hmph. Well, when I got the call, Morrison gave me the Password before I could dig for any details."

Lady blinked in curiosity. "He gave you the Password?"

"Yep. Which means that whatever this job is, it's gonna be big."

"Define big," Nero insisted.

"Big, as in "Fortuna" big."

Nero's features softened as he heard the name of his old home. It had been a long time since he had seen the place.

Patty twiddled her thumbs. "So when was the last time you got this 'Password?'" she asked.

"Huh... I guess it was three years ago," Dante answered. "It was around the time those demon attacks hit New York."

"Oh, I remember!" the girl gasped. "Monsters were running wild in the city. My class and I had to be moved to Madison Square Garden just to hide from them."

"Yeah, I heard about that too," Nero added. "They say it wasn't just New York, though. I heard the problem originated in Japan."

"Thankfully, the government got everything under control, before we could. We were just hired to evacuate civilians," Lady told. "Still, I'm pretty sure we could have resolved it if we had the chance."

"Unfortunately, it wasn't our battle to fight," Dante shrugged. "In the end, the crisis was averted. That's all that matters. Still, the job was pretty second-rate"

Nero had finally picked up his trash, and stood up from the ground. "I'm gonna throw this out," he informed, as he walked towards the front door. He opened the door, but was startled to see someone else on the other side.

It was a woman, who had blonde hair tucked backwards, crystal blue eyes, and clear skin. She wore a black band over her neck and a black leather bustier over her torso. A lightning bolt design went through the middle, which revealed the zipper that tightened the bustier. On her left arm was a strapped leather brace on her forearm. Black leather pants that tightened around her hips, as well as a belt around her waist. There were black leather heel boots on her feet.

She gave the boy a sultry smile, and winked. "Hey, kiddo."

Nero nodded at her, before looking back inside. "Dante, Trish is here."

The woman, Trish, walked past the boy, while he dropped the bag of trash into the trash cans next to the steps. He then followed her inside.

"So, did you end up buying anything expensive?" Dante questioned.

Trish shook her head, as she sat down on the left side of Dante's desk. "Nah. Nothing really caught my eye today. By the time Morrison called me, I was on my way out."

"You should've called me, then," Lady frowned. "I haven't gone shopping in a while, and a trip to the department store might've been what I needed."

"And put me in more debt? Keep dreamin', Lady," said the devil hunter.

Trish then spotted the schoolgirl. "Hey, Patty. You excited for your week off?"

The girl nodded. "Yeah! I already have plans and everything."

"Good to know." She then looked at Nero, who sat down next to Patty on the couch. "How's the headache?"

Nero looked at her in surprise. "Wha- How'd you know?"

"You were sleeping when I went out. And the bottles and cans on the floor were another helpful hint," she explained.

The boy sighed. "Figures."

"So, did Morrison give you any hints as to what our job was?" Lady inquired.

The blonde hunter shook her head. "No. I was just about ready to head back, that I didn't even bother to ask."

While three devil hunters continued talking, Patty looked at the young man. "How's your head?"

Nero gave her a small smile. "Better now, thanks to the aspirin."

The girl returned the smile, but shortly frowned right after. "So does that mean that guys will miss my birthday?"

The young devil hunter shrugged. "Beats me. That depends on how hard the job is."

"Oh..." she muttered

Noticing her sad expression, Nero patted her shoulder her shoulder. "Tell you what. Even if I don't make it to your party, I'll be sure to get you your gift."

He felt relieved when the girl jumped with joy. "Really?! You got me a gift?"

The boy smirked. "Yeah. But you're gonna have to wait for it. After all, it's a surprise."

Patty pouted, but gave in. "Oh, alright."

Just then, the door opened. Everyone in the room turned to face the man who had entered. He placed his brown coat and hat on the coat hanger near the wall. The man wore a white dress shirt underneath a purple vest, and black slacks. His hair was light brown and combed backwards, with his sideburns beginning to gray. A light brown mustache was right above his lips. His brown eyes softened in relief when he saw all of the hunters in the room.

"Good. You're all here," he greeted.

Patty smiled at the older man. "It's nice to see you again, Mr. Morrison."

The man, J.D. Morrison, returned the smile. "Ah, Ms. Lowell. I wasn't expecting you here today."

Patty waved her hand. "Oh, it's okay, Morrison. Just call me Patty, like always."

"'Bout time you showed up, Morrison. I was beginning to think that these girls came in for nothing," Dante greeted. "But since you're here, why don't we get this meeting underway?"

The older man looked at the devil hunter, and nodded. "Right. Let's get down to business." He then looked at Nero, who was on the couch. "Why don't you join us, Nero? This affects you too."

The boy glanced curiously at the man, before getting up from his spot, and made his way to the desk.

"Let's cut to the chase, then. What's the job?" Lady inquired.

Morrison crossed his arms, with a look of apprehension on his face. "Before we decide on anything, I need to ask all of you all to listen to this warning before any of us decide to go through with this."

Trish arched an eyebrow. "A warning for us? Interesting."

The old man's eyes narrowed as he looked at all four devil hunters. "I'm telling all of you this now: although this is a job, you have a choice as to whether or not you want to take it. Considering who's hiring us, I doubt you guys will want to do it. But knowing all of you, you'll disregard my warning completely, especially once you know what the job is about. But like I said before, you have a choice."

Nero frowned warily. "Emotional, much? You're talking as if the government's hiring us, Morrison."

Morrison gave a knowing smile. "They are... The CIA specifically."

Nero narrowed his eyes in surprise from the man's statement. Glancing to the right, he caught the calm expressions of the three veteran devil hunters.

"Forget it," Dante interjected. "Last time the CIA hired us, they gave us the second-rate job of cleaning up the leftovers, while their golden boy super ninja got the fun part. And the pay wasn't even good."

Morrison sighed deeply. "You may not think so after you hear what I have to say. That being said, let me tell you what this is all about."

He then reached for his bag and pulled out a beige folder, with a noticeable stack of paperwork. He then placed it on Dante's desk, where the devil hunter took it, and opened it.

"About six days ago, NYPD reported that somebody hijacked a boat on the harbor. The boat was a fishing boat, owned by two brothers who are commercial fisherman. They caught the culprit in the act, but he was able to overpower both of them easily. He ended up taking one of them hostage and went out into the ocean."

Dante finished looking over the file, and handed it over to Trish, who sat on the side of his desk. Lady was a few feet away, so she looked at the file with Trish. Nero stood there, crossing his arms as he listened.

"The man reported his brother's kidnapping to the police, and in response, the police department sent a boat out as far as international waters. Unfortunately, they found nothing. Two days later, however, the hostage came back with boat. _Unharmed_."

Nero shrugged. "I don't get it. The guy got kidnapped and set free. I don't see how there's a problem here, or how it supposed to connect with anything demonic."

"It's not about the brothers, kid," Dante rejoined. "It's about _who_ took them."

"What makes you say that?" he asked.

"It's all in the file, Nero," Morrison assured, as Lady handed the boy the file. "Police got photos of the guy responsible for it. We're lucky our 'special friend' came to them beforehand, or else Dante would be sitting in the Questioning Room of NYPD."

The young man opened the file, with a curious arch in his eyebrow. He read the police file quickly. On the side, were two mug shots of both brothers. Each had their own fishing hat, while the hostage had a beard on his face. Nero skimmed through two pages, before stopping at a certain page. What he saw made his face fall.

There, he spotted a full page with shots of the kidnapper threatening the two fishermen. The picture accurately displayed the man's features. The mere sight of the culprit caused Nero's face to cringe into a scowl, with a furious glare in his eyes.

"When did you get this report?" he hissed.

"Our 'friend' explained the situation to me as early as this morning," the liaison replied.

The young hunter's eyes snapped towards the old man. "Are you saying that the CIA _knew_ about this, and they didn't bother to let us in on it sooner?!" he blurted.

"You know how the government is, Nero," Morrison acknowledged. "Any secret they have is more than enough to send the public into mass chaos. Let's be lucky they even bothered to tell us at all."

Lady frowned. "So what exactly do they want us to do?"

Patty, who had only listened to the conversation thus far, looked on curiously. She looked at the apprehensive looks of Lady, Trish and Morrison. Then, her eyes looked at Dante's calm expression, before turning to glance at the furious scowl on Nero's face.

Morrison glanced at his partner as he sat on the desk, before looking at everyone else with a stoic expression.

"Simply put, they don't want a repeat of what happened twenty years ago. They want us to stop the problem _before_ it even begins."

He looked at Dante. "They want us to take him out."

Dante blinked once, and then placed his elbows on the table, with his hands in front of his mouth.

Thinking for a few moments, Dante spoke. "Where exactly did the fisherman take him?"

"According to the hostage's testimony, they went to Fortuna, where he let the fisher go. The CIA indicated that there aren't any other boats left on the island. This gives them reason to believe that he hasn't left, and is possibly still there," Morrison replied.

Nero blinked at hearing the name of his old home. Many questions went through his head. The most important one was "Why Fortuna?"

"So _that's_ why you wanted me to get my boat. We'll need it to go to Fortuna," Lady deduced. Morrison nodded in response.

Dante paused again, before speaking. "How much?"

"The CIA's offering enough to cover half of your debt. They're the government, remember?" Morrison confirmed.

"Figured they'd be spending tax payer's money on war, not mercenaries like me," the devil hunter mused.

Dante remained silent for four whole minutes. As calm and aloof as he usually seemed, jobs look these put his mind on fire. Truthfully, he did not care about getting paid, or settling his debts. His jobs were usually chosen if they were enough to relieve him of boredom. And this job promised to do just that.

On the other hand, he would have to do what he did twenty years ago. Even though he prevailed, he did not leave without his own battle scars, be they physically and mentally. If he chose to do it again, there was the risk of it happening again. Blood would be spilt by his hands. And the blood on them would not be so different than his own...

"Don't tell me you're actually thinking about this?!"

The Son of Sparda's thoughts were interrupted by his apprentice's protest. Everyone in the room then faced Nero, with looks of surprise on their expressions from his outburst.

"I mean, come on! What's there to think about? This deal is a win-win situation! Your debt gets cut in half, the world has one less problem to deal with…"

He then placed the open folder on Dante's desk, and pointed at the photos of the culprit. "And _he_ finally gets what he deserves."

The older hunter shook his head. "Kid, it ain't that simple-"

"To hell, it ain't!" he raged, as he leaned against the front of Dante's desk. "It's as easy as one-two-three. We find the bastard; we finish him off, and come back in time for Patty's birthday! What's so damn complicated about it?!"

"Watch it!" Lady snapped, as she pulled Nero away from the desk. Nero returned her action with a glare.

"Do you ever think about what you say? Have you forgotten who it is you want dead?" she reprimanded.

"No, I haven't," he shot back. "And I haven't forgotten what he's done, either... But it's seems you all have."

She groaned. "Look, no one's forgotten what happened, okay? But think about this from Dante's point of view..."

"Oh, so _my_ point of view doesn't matter?!" he snapped. "Don't you remember that he's the reason I'm even here?! I mean I like you guys, and all, but I think we all know that if he never did what he did, then things would have been better off for _both_ of us!"

The young devil hunter gritted his teeth in an attempt to calm himself down. "Look, I've been preparing myself, waiting for this moment to come. I've been doing the jobs that he _wouldn't_ to keep myself on my toes!" He exclaimed while pointing at Dante. "I'm at my best right now-"

"Hard to tell, considering all the booze you've been chugging down, lately," Dante commented dryly.

Nero clenched his fist. "And yet, that never stopped you."

No sound was heard for the few short seconds, as everyone watched both devil hunters glare at each other. Neither man gave the other ground.

The younger man decided to break the silence. "Look, you guys can decide whether or not you're taking this job." He then turned to Morrison. "But as for me, I'm not going to stand here, and let anyone else share my fate. I'll take that job... _Alone_ if I have to."

Nero then began to walk towards the door that lead to the upper room, when Dante's voice stopped him.

"You're not going anywhere."

Nero resisted the urge to snarl as he faced Dante. "What, you're gonna stop me?"

The older hunter sighed as he stood up. Turning to the younger man, he smirked. "You're not going _alone_, that is. We're coming with you."

Nero arched an eyebrow. "Huh?"

"Kid, this job has to do with me as much as it has do with you. Granted, you didn't give me much time to think, but you're right. We let this go longer than it has to, and we risk people getting hurt."

"Like the job says, we gotta stop this problem before it even begins," he explained, before turning to Morrison. "And I'm guessing the CIA wants us to get started as soon as possible?"

The old man's nod was his response. "In that case, pack your stuff, kid. We're heading out as soon as we're ready."

The boy looked away, before taking a deep breath. "Thank you."

Dante watched as Nero made his way to his room. He then addressed his liaison. "Morrison, let our 'friend' know that we accepted the job."

Morrison nodded. "I'll go get the car ready."

As Morrison walked outside, Dante turned towards the other two hunters. "You got enough ammo in that boat, Lady?"

She nodded. "In every vehicle I use."

Dante smirked, before snatching two gloves from his desk. He quickly put them on his hands, and made his way to the coat rack on the right of his desk. He quickly put on his red coat with stylish western and Italian accents, before swiping Ebony and Ivory into their holsters.

Finally he grabbed his long, heavy, double-edged broadsword, grabbing it by its handle, with its spiked pommel. The blade was notched to the tip, while its guard was skeletal. One side depicted a human skull, while the other showed a screaming, horned demon skull with two bones extended from the side of the ribs, where the sword emerged from.

The devil hunter holstered his sword, the Rebellion, on his back, before looking at the two femme fatales with a grin. "I'm packed."

Trish, however, had a look of apprehension. "Hey. Are you sure you're okay with this?"

Dante shrugged. "We all knew this was gonna come up sooner or later. No sense in draggin' this about."

Lady's eyes furrowed. "But it's…"

"I know who it is... And that's why we gotta do this. Not just because we need to get to the bottom of this, but for the kid, too." He frowned. "I owe him that much."

Just as he finished, the back door opened, and revealed Nero dragging a large black case, with the same symbol on his shoulders on it.

Looking at the devil hunting trio, he nodded towards them. "I'm ready when you all are."

Nodding, Dante then turned towards Patty, who had managed to remain silent the whole time. "Listen, Patty, we're closing up. We can drop you off at your place, if you want."

Patty smiled. "Sure! But don't think this will let you into my birthday party next week."

Dante chuckled. "Heh, how 'bout this: if I make it back from this job alive, I get to go. Deal?"

Patty nodded in agreement.

"Alright, guys. Let's rock." Dante grinned as he and the other hunters exited the shop, followed by the young Lowell girl.

Before she exited the shop, Patty's eyes spotted a photo frame on Dante's desk, before smiling sadly and closing the door.

The photo she saw was a photo taken two years ago. It was a photo of the entire group in front of Devil May Cry. Dante, hands in his pockets with a calm smile on his face, was in the middle, with Trish on his left, and Lady on his right; both of them were smiling. Next to Lady was Patty, with a bright smile on her face, and her mother, Nina Lowell, with Morrison to their right, his closed and a small smile on his old features.

On Trish's left was Nero, with his right arm in a cast and sling. His eyes had an expression of indifference, with a small frown added to it. On his left however, was a young woman with long orange hair, fair skin, and bronze irises. She wore a white dress, with beige accented wrist cuffs, and gold accents sown around her sleeves, and the edges of her dress. Around the gold accents on the sleeves are the symbols same symbols that are on Nero's shoulder, only in gold. Around her neck is a necklace, depicting four angel wings, with two surrounding a red crystal.

Her hands grasp Nero's left hand, while her head leans on his shoulder; she smiles.

* * *

><p><strong>-Cocoon-<strong>

**-The Seaside City of Bodhum - The Pulse Vestige - Oblatorium-**

A lone figure lied on the floor of the platform in the large chamber. Two pillars were on the side. On top of the right pillar, was a crystalline statue of a girl. Her hair was swept to the right, with two curled pigtails at the end.

Suddenly, the statue began to glow with an orange hue. Then, the crystal began to dissipate from the statue. The crystal dissolved to reveal bright red hair, and bright green eyes opened for the first time in years, before slowly closing again The rest of the crystal on her body dissolved to reveal a slim naked body, before being covered with light. Her feet then revealed beige boots with fur around the opening socket. Around her torso appeared a light pink halter top and an orange-yellow skirt with a bear pelt around her waist. Around her neck, three beaded necklaces appeared, which had various beaded extensions surrounding her attire. Colorful bracelets appeared around both of her wrists and silver hooped earrings pierced to her ears.

The girl floated down to the floor, before collapsing to the ground. After a few seconds, her body stirred awake. Slowly pushing herself up, she blinked slowly while her vision became clearer. The first thing she spotted was the other figure lying near her.

The girl gasped, as she recognized the woman. "Fang!"

She crawled over to the woman, Fang, and tugged on her shoulder. "Hey. Are you alright?"

Fang, who was slightly older than the other girl, groaned as she awoke. She had long wavy dark brown hair, piercing green eyes, and bronze skin. A small braid was behind her left ear, with two clawed earrings on both of them, as well as a beauty mark beneath her eye. On her left arm was a tattoo of the lower part of the skull, with a two spikes protruding on the chin. On her right arm were scars on her shoulder and over her bicep. She wore a blue sari over a black top that exposed her midriff, with black sleeves over her forearms, and a pair tan leather open-toed sandals. A belt was over her waist, with two fur pelts hanging off of it.

The girl helped her friend to her feet, before finally realizing where they were. Fang rubbed her head, as her vision returned to her. When it did, she came to the same conclusion as her friend: they were in unfamiliar territory.

"Wh... Where are we, Vanille?" Fang wondered with her heavy Australian-esque accent in her voice.

The other girl, Vanille, shrugged as well, and answered with her voice that was laced with her own Australian-esque accent. "I don't know..."

The older woman shook her head. "Ugh... How'd we get here?" She thought to herself for a few seconds. "I- I can't remember..."

She then turned to the younger girl, with a hopeful look in her eyes. "Do you remember what happened before we fell asleep?"

Vanille opened her mouth to answer, but stopped when she looked at her friend's arm. On the side of Fang's right bicep, was a large swash of white. In the middle of it was a symbol of an open eye, that portrayed arrows coming out of it. They were pointing upwards and downwards.

The girl eye's widened, before finding her voice. "I... I don't... I can't remember either..."

Fang's hopeful look instantly fell. "Oh..." she sighed.

The older woman then looked around her, and shrugged. "Guess there's no point standin' here." She then looked back at Vanille. "Let's go look around. We might find clues as to where we are here."

The younger girl nodded with a soft smile, and followed after Fang as she headed for a nearby stair case that went downwards. Vanille's smile fell however, as a guilty expression replaced it.

* * *

><p><em>"Kyrie, get to safety!"<em>

_His sword clashed with another, with sparks flying as metal met with metal._

_"NERO!"_

_"Kyrie! Go with the others and get out of here! Find someplace-"_

_He then heard a crunch and felt an unbearable amount of pain in his left then fell to the ground, and hit his head._

_"Kyrie? Kyrie?! KYRIEEEEEEEEEE!"_

* * *

><p><strong>-Day 2-<strong>

**-Earth-**

**-North Atlantic Ocean - International Waters-**

Nero's eyes shot open as he shot up from his bed. His eyes remained wide, as he took deep breaths, before sitting on the edge of the bed.

As he leaned forward, he felt something jingle against his chest. Reaching out, he lifted up a necklace with a small golden chain and a golden miniature figure. It depicted a four winged angel. Two wings were outstretched, while the other two were curled around a red crystal.

The young hunter looked at the necklace longingly and sadly. Then, his face contorted into frown as he put the necklace underneath the collar of his shirt. He then stood up from his bed, and put on his blue coat.

Nero walked to the wall, grabbed his black case, and opened it. Inside were various components in their own separate sockets. Knowing where each piece goes, he went to work. It took less than a minute and thirty seconds before he held the completed product in his left hand.

The final product was long, single-edged Durandal sword, with significant modifications. The handle was red, and the steel emerged from an ornate base that depicted silver rose thorns curling upwards. What was significant about this sword was the motorcycle-like gear shift at the guard of the sword. The top port of the handle acted like a motorcycle handle, with an added brake lever to activate the mechanism.

He sheathed the sword, the Red Queen, over his back, and reached for a revolver on the side counter next to his bed. There were four bunks with four different beds, with a bathroom on the back, and a weapons closet next to it.

The revolver was a heavily modified Smith and Wesson Model 500 double-action revolver. It had a six-shot cylinder, with a long dual-barrel that allowed two shots to be fired at the same time, with porting on each barrel to reduce the recoil and muzzle flip, as well as targeting sights. There was an ornate wooden handle, as well as a blue rose design on the right side, with a thorn design embedded as well as a blue rose emblem.

Nero twirled his revolver, aptly named Blue Rose, and placed it onto its holster on his left hip. Noticing that nobody was inside, he decided to walk outside to the deck, and see where they were.

He walked through the door, and emerged onto the deck of Lady's ship. It was a white charter boat, with Lady steering the boat on the top. Nero saw Trish leaning against the side railing, and decided to approach her.

"Hey, Trish," he greeted. The blond woman glanced over at the young man and smiled at him. "So, where are we?"

She shrugged. "Don't know. But we should be getting closer to Fortuna. I'd say in about an hour, if not less."

"It usually takes us a full day to get there. It's so boring," he muttered.

She giggled. "Well at least you slept through the whole day. You didn't have to wait it out like the rest of us. Dante's been moving about in order to keep himself busy."

"I'll bet," Nero chuckled. "Still, I need to be fully rested for the mission. Can't afford to be unprepared."

Trish audibly sighed, before looking away. "I'll tell you this, Nero. I've got one of those strange feelings I usually get when I go on big jobs like this."

The young devil hunter arched an eyebrow. "Whaddya mean?"

"I don't know," she shrugged. "I just feel that things will never be the same after today."

He frowned at this, before looking out at the sea. "I know..."

Nero looked over his shoulder, and spotted Lady at the wheel. "Hey, I'm gonna go talk to Lady. See ya, 'Gloria.'"

Trish, who had used the name Gloria while she worked undercover in the Order of the Sword, nodded with a smile. "Keep your chin up, kiddo."

Nero frowned, before walking away. He then went to the ladder, and climbed it up to the wheel, and found the human demon hunter.

"How's it goin', Lady?" he greeted.

She smirked over her shoulder. "Hey, you're finally up."

Nero nodded, before looking forward. He spotted a blot in the distance. "Not too long 'til we get there, huh?"

"Yup. Just wait a while longer. We'll be there before the day ends," she assured.

The boy smiled, but then spotted a large amount of red. Dante was standing on bow, as the wind blew his coat tails.

"I'm gonna check up on Dante. I'll see you in a bit," he told.

He was about to go, before the woman stopped him. "Hold up, Nero. We need to talk."

Blinking in confusion, Nero turned back towards her. "What's up?"

"Look, about yesterday, sorry I almost snapped at you," she apologized. "But please understand that this issue doesn't just mean a lot to you, but to all of us as well."

The boy frowned, but calmly acknowledged her apology. "I know that... But this is the only lead we've had ever since I got here. And you know why this means so much to me. When I found out there was a possibility that we might've not done this mission, I couldn't let that happen."

Lady sighed. "I know that... But please try to be a little more considerate. This involves Dante, too. And the last time this happened, it really affected him. I just don't want whatever happens to change anything."

"I think we all know that it's already too late for that," Nero darkly reminded, but then quickly softened his features. "But I get what you mean. I'll try to watch myself, and the Boss."

Lady smiled. "That's all I'm asking."

He returned the smile, before descending down the ladder. Turning to the right, he carefully made his way to the bow, holding onto the rail with his left hand. Spotting Dante, he approached him.

"Hey, Boss," he greeted.

The red-clad hunter looked over his shoulder, and waved at him. "Hey there, kid. What's up?"

Nero shrugged. "Nothin' much. Just seeing how far Fortuna is."

The older man smirked. "You excited to see your old home again?"

"Don't know," he answered honestly. "Considering how shitty the place was when I left, I'm not sure if I even _want_ to know."

"That's true. Real shame that the government didn't give you guys the aid when you needed it. And it was such a bullshit excuse, too," Dante lamented.

"Got that right," Nero agreed. "'The Seaside City of Fortuna is too far into international waters for us to intervene.' What a load of horseshit."

Both men shared a laugh at the ridiculousness of the statement. When they finished, Nero slightly frowned.

"Hey, uh... About yesterday... Sorry."

Dante merely waved him off. "Ah, don't sweat it kid. That's water under the bridge."

The young man quickly turned towards. "But you know why I have to do this, right? I can't stand by and let his crime go unpunished. If there's a chance I can make him pay for what he did to her, I'll take it in a heartbeat."

The older man had a serious look, as he faced the younger devil hunter. "Yeah, I get where you're coming from. But I'm more worried about what'll happen to _you_ when this job is all said and done."

"Huh?" Nero muttered. "Why's that?"

"Remember, kid, we're not just killing any demon. We're talking about killing someone who's a bit more than that: a human being."

"You mean a murderer," Nero interjected.

"That too. But if you carry out this job, wouldn't that make you one, too?" he shot back. This caused Nero to slightly flinch. "What's my number one rule, kid?"

The boy blinked before answering. "We don't kill humans."

"Right. And that rule is one of the reasons why I even bothered to _think_ about taking this job. By taking it, I increase the chances of that rule being _broken_." Nero felt Dante's small glare pierce him. "And the odds are in favor of _you_ being the most likely one to _break it_."

Dante's expression softened, as he placed his hand on Nero's shoulder. "I know you've had it rough, kid. But I think I speak for all of us, when I say that we don't want nothin' to happen to you. I know for a fact that things won't be the same when this is over. And spilt blood can drastically change a person."

He then retracted his arm back to his side. "I don't want you doin' something that you're gonna regret, Nero."

Whenever Nero heard Dante call him by his full name, he knew that he was being serious. Sighing, the demon hunter answered honestly. "I won't, Dante. I promise."

The half-demon's signature smirk returned. "Glad to hear it, kid," he exclaimed, as he patted the boy's shoulder. "And cheer up. This is technically a homecoming! You haven't been here for a while, so you should be happy."

The elder hunter then walked past Nero, and back to the deck. Nero, however had a small frown on his face. His eyes looked on to the distant island in the horizon, where months of training and waiting might finally pay off.

"Yeah. Where does the time go?"

* * *

><p><span>Ch. 2: Homecoming<span>

The devil hunters return to the ruins of Fortuna, determined to carry out their mission. However, Nero gets more than he bargained for, when he comes across a mysterious discovery. His journey across space and time, finally begins.

* * *

><p><strong>READ &amp; REVIEW!<strong>


	3. Homecoming

**Updated: 7-14-2014**

* * *

><p><strong>The Castle Town of Fortuna- Homecoming<strong>

* * *

><p><strong>-The Castle Town of Fortuna - Port Caerula-<strong>

The first change that he had noticed was the air. Even as they docked into the port, Nero can smell the stench of the air was pungent. It reeked of death and decay, which was a far cry of the fragile, yet beautiful aroma that met his nostrils every day.

At that moment, he realized that any portion of what was left of the home he grew to know were now eradicated entirely. And what was ironic, in his opinion, was that it was caused by the very people who swore to protect it.

He stood on the bow of Lady's boat, arms crossed, as it docked near the Customs House. The three veteran hunters stood near the wheel.

"Hey, kid! Mind telling us why we're stopping here first?" Dante demanded, as the boat came to a stop.

"Easy," Nero responded, as he jumped onto the stone dock. "There's something I gotta show you guys. It might help with the job."

"Kid, if you're pullin' our legs here-"

"I'm not," he assured. "It's something I never got to do before I left. C'mon."

As Nero walked underneath the canopy made of junk, he noticed how little had changed in the ports. The wooden walkway that lead to Ferrum Hills was still intact, as well as the metal bridge that it lead to. He guessed that the controls on the upper level of the Customs House were still broken, by his hand no less. The stone pathway that leads to the city was still there. The only noticeable difference was the debris over the water. Pieces of destroyed boats floated over the water, indicating to other sailors that the island had a dark history to its name.

Nero silently scowled to himself. If this was how the ports were, he dreaded to know how the city looked after all this time.

He led the other hunters into the worn building of the Customs House, which was built with decaying brown bricks, and dirty windows surrounding it. He pushed through the metal doors and entered for the first time in three years.

**-Customs House-**

Nero slightly coughed, due to the dust in the air. Trish and Lady did the same, while Dante merely waved his hands in front of him to swat the dust away.

The room was exactly the same as Nero remembered it, but there were a few new details. The walls were still littered with junk. On one side were grated fences, some of which were torn or out of place. The other wall had cluttered junk on it, which included a ladder, tiles, and other uninteresting trinkets.

The center of the room was where the difference was spotted. There were overturned plastic tables and steel chairs, with spilled paper all over the floor.

Nero walked to his right, in the corner near the Fortuna Switch, and the ladder that led to the bridge controls. There was a shelve that had trash on it, with a mop underneath. However, the young hunter's attention was focused on the board that was flat on the ground.

He lifted up, and sighed in relief. "Good. It's still here."

"Okay, what's this about, Nero?" Lady asked in annoyed tone.

He moved out of the way, to show what was taped onto the board. "This is a map of the entire city," he pointed out, before using the hand to indicate the red circles in parts of the map. "And these are the places we're gonna investigate."

"And what makes those areas so special?" Trish inquired.

"You see, after the 'Savior Incident' three years ago, me and whatever was left of the Order of the Sword, or at least those who actually thought that Sanctus was the crazy old coot that he was, formed a small group to find and destroy any and all traces of 'Stutterbox' Agnus' research on demons. We wanted to prevent anyone else from getting their hands on it, so that no one would ever be subjected to that type of experimentation again. "

Dante rubbed his chin hairs. "But you guys never got the chance to start, did you?"

Nero shook his head. "No, we didn't. That was around the time the huge surge of demons that escaped the Hellgate attacked. Back then, we were outnumbered, even with the group of Sanctus' sympathizers. I managed to off a good number of them, but it still wasn't enough. When the demons began to attack civilians, we had no choice but to flee. We had already lost one-third of the island's population, so we couldn't take any chances. We left Fortuna for good. And after all this time, I'd nearly forgotten about our investigation, until I remembered it on our way here."

Lady raised her hand. "Not to sound rude, or anything, but what does this have to do with the job?"

"Simple. Our target's got an unhealthy fascination with demonology, especially when it comes to a certain demon: Sparda," he explained, as he quickly glanced at his comrades with a serious expression. Each of them was familiar with the name of Dante's demon father, who had betrayed demonkind in favor of humanity, and sealed the gateway to the Demon World two thousand years prior.

"Since the Order of the Sword worshiped Sparda, and considering the psychotic nature of their experiments, I figured that there was a slight chance that Sanctus and Agnus may have possibly found some other relics pertaining to Sparda. And the first place Agnus would record his findings would be in his notes. So if we find these safe houses, and if there's information hidden in them..."

"We might be able to find out why he even bothered to come here," Dante finished, realizing what the former knight was saying.

"But wait, what if he's just here to open the Hellgate? He might've not known about their destruction until he actually arrived," Trish queried.

"Nah, I don't think so," Dante responded. "There's no way he would've come here, and not know that I already destroyed them beforehand. It's possible, but knowing him, I doubt it."

Nodding at her partner's observation, Lady noticed something about the map that was off on the left part of it. "So, what's that huge blotch of red, Nero?"

Nero looked at the map, before shaking his head. "That's where the Savior fell after I crushed its face."

Dante looked at the map carefully. "Where are these places at, kid? You're the local, here, so where do you want to start?"

The boy fidgeted slightly. "Actually... I was thinking that maybe we should split up."

The older devil hunter arched an eyebrow. "Come again?"

"Just hear me out," Nero pleaded. "There're four of these areas that need to be investigated, and there's four of us. With everyone looking out for clues, we might be able to get this done faster, and find important information."

"And what happens when we get ambushed, eh?" the red-clad devil hunter pried.

"We all know enough to hold our own against a few demons," Nero answered.

"But what if it's _him_?" Lady countered.

The former knight flinched slightly, before answering. "Then we hold our own."

"Yeah, _not_ _happenin'_," Dante disagreed. "That's a quick and easy way to get yourself in trouble-"

"I think we should do it," Trish said over his voice.

Dante did a double-take, before turning to the she-devil. "Say wha...?"

"We should do it," she repeated. "We would be able to cover more ground that way. Plus, if we fought together, we wouldn't have time to warm up with a few demons beforehand. You'd just take them all."

"Ain't my fault you can't keep up, babe," Dante retorted.

"Still, we should do what the kiddo says. It might be fun. After all, who can resist a good _fight_?"

The Son of Sparda inwardly cursed. She knew he liked to have good fights every now and then. In fact, when he fought with Nero the first time, he wouldn't even use his full power; he'd use just enough to keep the fight _going_.

"Maybe... But there's still the issue of communication," he reminded.

Lady spoke up. "I think I can fix that." She then reached into one of her ammo pockets, and pulled out four small devices, which were black, round, and had antennas.

"I figured that something like this might happen, so I brought these communicators just in case. They all have the same frequency, so we can keep in touch with each other."

She handed one to each one of the hunters, saving the last one for herself.

"Now that just leaves who's going where," Trish breathed.

The Son of Sparda crossed his arms. "More importantly, what are those places on the map?"

Nero pointed to the left of the map. "Well, these two blots over here are warehouses. According to his notes, Agnus used them to create Bianco Angelos through the Ascension Ceremony. They're deep inside the easternmost part of the city, which is also a part of the Business District."

Trish looked at the map, with growing smile on her face. "I'll take those warehouses."

"Honestly, I recommend you take someone else with you. And by 'someone,' I mean Dante," Lady advised.

"Wha- Why me?" Dante protested.

"Because, out of all of us, I'm the only one who can sail a boat. And unless you can't see, there's a huge blotch near the ports," she elaborated, as she pointed at the bottom part of the map.

"I was about to suggest the same thing," Nero revealed. "Since you can man the boat, you can go check out the warehouses by the other ports, while at the same time keeping the boat safe."

"Hold up a sec, kid. Where do you fit into this?" the devil hunter interjected.

Nero shrugged, and pointed to the bottom right of the map. "I was thinking I'd head to the Residential District. There were plans to investigate the Order of the Sword Security Garrison. I figured that if Agnus was looking for test subjects for the Ascension Ceremony, that would have been the place. Also, that place was where I slept for most of my life. I know the layout better than anyone here. If Agnus was scouting knights there, then it's just as good a place to look for clues as any."

Dante thought over what he had heard, and slowly nodded. "Okay, but say we do find some helpful clues. What do you want us to do with it?"

"If it's helpful, I suggest you guys take it with you," Nero suggested. "Otherwise, burn everything when you're done. I don't want to risk anyone getting a hold of this information. It could cause trouble in the future, so it's best we destroy the data now before it falls into the wrong hands."

"So what happens when we're done checking out these spots?" Trish asked.

The boy's face darkened slightly. "Then we meet up at the most _obvious_ place to look." His left index finger pointed at the center of the map. "We head to the Arts District, AKA the Opera House."

Lady blinked in confusion, and turned to Dante. "Wait, I thought you said he wasn't going to head for the Hellgate?"

"I said he probably knew about their destruction. I didn't say that he wouldn't go there," he clarified.

"Plus, the Order had a lot of secrets that they were willing to hide, even when I, or 'Gloria,' was with them. They may have hidden something else in the Opera House that none of us might've known about," Trish added.

Lady accepted the explanation. "Alright. Then we have our jobs."

Dante smirked. "The hell are we standin' around here for, then? Let's get to work!"

* * *

><p><em>"Thank you, Ms. Kyrie!"<em>

_Nero smiled as Kyrie handed a bouquet of flowers to the little girl. Kyrie had requested that Nero go with her as she went to go pick up flowers for the city hospital. She planned to give a bouquet to each patient, hoping that the flowers would keep their spirits up, and encourage them to not give up on the hope of recovery. They were just about to head for the hospital, when a little girl, one that Kyrie had watched over before, had approached them asking for a bouquet. Apparently, the hospital announced the arrival of the flowers, and the girl wanted to be the one to give her ailing mother the flowers personally._

_With a story like that, Nero had to admit that even_ he_ would have given her a bouquet._

_Kyrie smiled, as the girl waved good-bye. She then turned towards Nero, but was surprised by his amused expression._

_"What is it?" she asked shyly as she met his gaze._

_Nero chuckled. "Nothin'. Just watching you be your usual, charitable self is all." He then gave her a genuine smile. "You did good."_

_Kyrie returned the smile. "I'd like to think so..."_

_Grinning, Nero playfully shoved her. "Well, c'mon. Don't we have to go deliver these flowers?"_

_The young girl giggled, before pushing the cart to the hospital, with Nero by her side._

* * *

><p><strong>-Residential District-<strong>

Nero stood before the old flower shop. The windows were broken, and the sign had fallen from its perch. Inside, he could see the wilted remains of several flowers, as well as many overturned shelves, and broken pots.

It was nothing but a shell of the joyful gathering place it used to be.

Frowning sadly, Nero continued his trek towards the Security Garrison.

* * *

><p><strong>-Order of the Sword Security Garrison-<strong>

Nero managed to get inside the large white building, with the Order's emblem on top of the doorway. The white bricks were decayed, and windows were either dirty or broken. Even the stained glass windows had some glass chipped off. Inside was a mess. Several objects were sprawled along the floor, which included papers, glass, and overturned plants. However, what truly stuck out was the blood and the corpses. The place reeked of death, with decayed corpses of knights leaning against the walls, as well as the dry blood splattered across them. The former knight assumed that his comrades had put up a fight, when the demons came.

As Nero looked over the library for anything on their objective, he realized that he did not personally know any of the other knights in the Order by name, let alone befriended any of them. The only ones he was familiar with were his friend Credo, the lecherous Swordsmaster Evangelium, who was the man who finished Nero's training in the mastery of the sword, and his five pupils. He recalled that they named their little group "the Knights of the Round," which was because each member named themselves after the fabled "Knights of the Round Table" of Arthurian legends. He was offered the chance to join them, but flat out refused. He had learned enough from them to know that they cared little for human life, and did not want others to believe him to be greater than he thought he was.

But even then, most knights looked down upon him for three reasons: his efficiency in battle, his "heretical" use of a gun, and his refusal to believe in the Order's teachings. Because of this, he usually did not work with any other knights. In fact, he actually preferred working alone; this gave him the nickname "the Lone Wolf of the Order."

Nevertheless, when the time came, his fellow comrades fought valiantly to protect the city and its people. A good number sacrificed themselves for the sake of others. That alone earned them his respect and eternal gratitude.

He sighed in frustration, as he threw the papers on the floor. So far, after searching both the Garrison Library, and the Executive Quarters, his search came up fruitless. No mention of potential demonic experimentation subjects, or ancient relics with connections to Sparda.

He looked outside, and saw that the sun's position had changed, which indicated that the it was the middle of the afternoon. The group had arrived at the middle of the day, which meant that had spent around four hours looking through the complex. He surmised that there was at least three hours of daylight left. And since he had found nothing, the only thing left for him to do was to contact the others, and head for the Opera House.

But first, he wanted to visit his old room.

**-Residential Quarters - Nero's Room-**

Nero walked down the hallway, keeping a close eye on the numbers, before finally find his old room number: thirteen.

Alarms blared through his head the moment he spotted the broken, blood-splattered door slightly open.

The former knight had his hand gripping his revolver in seconds, and slowly pulled it out of its holster. He inched towards the door carefully, keeping his ears open for any suspicious sounds.

He walked past the doorway, and frowned at what he saw. A headless decomposed body leaned against the drawer next to his window, with the severed head in the middle of his untucked bed. A knight must have gotten into his room, before being mauled by demons during their raid on the city. Sighing, the former knight holstered the Blue Rose, and warily walked into the room. Apart from the fallen coat rack by the door and the bloody mess, everything remained relatively unchanged.

Even the photo on the counter next to his bed.

Stepping over the legs of the body, the young hunter walked over to the counter, and picked up the photo. Luckily, it too remained untouched after all of this time.

The photo was taken one year before the Savior Incident, and it was of him and his foster family. In the middle of it was Kyrie, with her hair still tied into a ponytail, and hands behind her back. Nero was to the left, with his arms crossed, and giving a small smile. Back then, his right arm was still human.

On Kyrie's right, though, was her older brother, the Supreme Captain of the Holy Knights, Credo. His arms were behind his back, while he wore a fully buttoned white coat with ornate yellow designs and the Order's insignia sewn into his sleeves. His brown, shoulder length hair was slicked backwards, while he practically glared at the camera with his light brown eyes.

The man betrayed Nero once, three years ago during the Savior Incident. Credo had sacrificed his humanity for his beliefs, and challenged Nero to a duel when the boy had discovered the Order's true motives. Nero had won, but Agnus, the stuttering head researcher and alchemist of the Order, had kidnapped Kyrie right after; the Mad Alchemist had done it in front of _both_ of them, no less. When the Order had kidnapped him as well, Credo was the one who first tried to set them free, but failed and was fatally wounded by the leader of the Order and the Mad Vicar of Sparda, Sanctus.

After Sanctus and the Savior were destroyed, Dante revealed to Nero that Credo had died from his injuries, and given the devil hunter the last request of saving his sister and him from the Mad Vicar. According to the Son of Sparda, Credo dissolved into golden light, before vanishing from existence.

There was no better way for his honorable friend to go.

Sighing sadly, Nero put the frame back in its spot on the counter. Deciding that he had walked through Memory Lane long enough, Nero decided to head for the Arts District.

That was when he heard the sound of demonic cackling just a few feet to his left.

Thinking quickly, he dove out of the window to his right, barely missing the swipe of a large blade.

**-Training Grounds-**

Nero fell over three floors, before landing onto his feet with a crouch. Dust kicked up around him the moment he landed.

He looked up and saw that he was now in the Training Grounds, where rookies and high-ranking knights would train and practice their combat skills. Nero recalled that it was here, in this very area, where he first learned how to fight.

His reverie was cut short, however, when he heard the demonic cackling again. This time, though, it was all around him. On the ground he noticed multiple burlap sacks that were scattered throughout the yard. Then, black beetles skittered out of nearby crevices, trashcans, and junk bins. The beetles moved along the ground, before finally entering one of the burlap sacks. The sack shifted left and right, before slowly inflating itself, giving Nero a good look at what stood before him.

The burlap sack formed the creature's body, which was stitched up with multiple other rags, and stood on two wooden pikes. One side had a wooden arm, while the other had a large guillotine blade. Its face had two hollow eyes, and a stitched up mouth. Suddenly, another burlap sack came to life as well. This one, however, had a doctor's mask sewn on its face, and the large blade was its right leg. More and more of these monsters, the Scarecrows, came to life, each with its own distinct features.

Nero scoffed in annoyance. "Great. The dirtbags finally popped up."

The demons said nothing, as they slowly surrounded him.

An amused smile then made its way to his face. "I gotta admit though, I was beginning to wonder when you guys would show up. No way are you ever this quiet."

The Scarecrows inched forward, practically surrounding him. The smile never left his face as he looked at every demon surrounding him.

"But since you're all here, why don't we get this over with? Who wants to start us off?"

He heard glass breaking above him. Nero looked up, and saw that a Scarecrow had leaped out of the window he had jumped out of, and was falling towards him.

The young devil hunter took a deep breath. "Guess I'll go first, then."

As the Scarecrow was about to maul him from mid-air, Nero swiftly did a back-flip, and kicked the demon into the crowd. The act pushed several of them backwards into the air due to the hard impact of the kick.

One of the demons recovered, only to receive the other end of Nero's left foot. The blow sent it crashing towards another group of demons, which sent more flying into the air. A Leg Scarecrow spun towards the devil hunter with its leg outstretched, but Nero ducked under it, and tripped its leg from underneath. He then did a spinning kick that sent it flying into another crowd of demons.

An Arm Scarecrow lunged for him, but he quickly backed away from the demon. It lunged for him again, but this time he caught the blunt side of the blade in his hand. Using the momentum of the downward swing, Nero lifted the demon into the air, and slammed it onto the ground. Before it could react, he planted his foot onto the Scarecrow's head, instantly killing it, and yanked the blade out.

Looking at the curved blade, he lunged his arm backwards, before throwing the guillotine at the crowd. The blade spun around the demons, instantly slicing them. Due to the blade's curve, however, the weapon flew around Nero, like a boomerang. Scarecrows screeched in pain as the guillotine tore through the burlap sacks, which caused green ooze to shoot out.

The blade then flew back to Nero, who ducked, and looked over his shoulder to see the blade impale itself into a Leg Scarecrow.

Standing up from his crouch, Nero noticed that there were now less Scarecrows than when he started. He figured that it was time to use his blade to cut them down to size.

He reached over his left shoulder, and grabbed the handle of his Durandal, the Red Queen, and brought its tip down to the concrete. With the blade held down, he twisted the handle of his blade, which activated the motor mechanism on the sword that shot out flammable propellant from the exhaust.

Nero narrowed his eyes. "Your move."

Three Scarecrows quickly lunged towards him. The former knight then ran forward, while holding his burning Durandal with his left hand over his right shoulder. Before any of the demons could strike him, he swiftly cut through them as he charged past. The force of his slash caused him to continue spinning, which allowed him to cut more demons in half. The propellant of his sword covered the blade in flames, which allowed it to cut through the Scarecrows in an arc of searing flames. The demons' remains fell to the ground, scorched by the might of his EX Streak technique.

When he finished, only three more Scarecrows were left: two Arm Scarecrows and one Leg Scarecrow. The two Arm Scarecrows moved towards the devil hunter, with the one on his right bringing its blade down. Nero deflected it with his own blade, and then struck the Scarecrow horizontally on its unguarded right side, before cutting through it again to slice through the unguarded left side of the other Arm Scarecrow.

Nero managed to look up, and saw that the last Leg Scarecrow was in the air, and bringing its blade down towards him. The hunter twisted his hand around the Red Queen's handle to grip it in reverse. With a mighty heave, he struck the demon with a vertical swing that launched it into the air; he followed with a leap. In mid-air, he hacked at it from left and right, with each swipe tearing away the burlap sacks that comprised the demon. After he landed four successful strikes, he arched his Durandal backwards, and swung downwards with a loud cry. The force of the blade eviscerated the demon in two, while sending the demon hunter down to the ground. He landed on his feet, while the Scarecrow's slimy innards spilled into the ground a few feet away.

Nero stood up, and visibly relaxed as the demon's remains dissolved. He sighed, as he rolled his neck.

However, he visibly frowned when a sound came to his ears: the sound of something skidding along the concrete.

Quickly turning around, he saw that three massive rolling blades were heading for him, and he did not have much time to react. He swatted one of the blades to the right with his own, and then swatted the other to the left. Unfortunately, the last rolling blade was upon him, and he had no time to deflect it. Gritting his teeth, he twisted to the side, but timed it wrong. Knowing that he had no other options, he raised his cast in front of him to brace for the pain. He felt the blades rip through the his forearm before he landed on the ground. When he felt the ground on his back, the former knight rolled backwards onto his feet.

As he skidded backwards, Nero glanced at his new adversaries as they immediately stopped rolling, and landed on their stomachs. The demons then got to their feet, and faced him. Their skin comprised of leather sacks, which were stitched throughout their body, as well as zipped together with zippers. Their faces were made of leather, with two empty eye sockets, and a long trunk that was covered with brown leather, and a gold ring at the end. Their feet were actually two knives that impaled themselves into the ground to support each demon's balance. Both of their arms had three large blades, as well as a large singular one in the back. He stood up, warily keeping his eyes on the new demons: the Mega Scarecrows.

The stinging in his right arm quickly disappeared, and he examined it. To Nero's annoyance, he saw that the sling, the cast beneath it, and the lace that held it together was ripped. Other than the obvious tears, the clue that gave him the conclusion that the cast was now useless was the blue light that was coming from underneath it.

"Okaaay," he mused in annoyance, as he impaled the tip of the Red Queen to the ground. "Looks like we're at a draw. I got your goons, and you landed a hit on me."

The demons approached slowly, only growling in response to his statement. Meanwhile, the demon hunter yanked his right arm to side, which ripped the lace that held his sling. He then proceeded to pull the sling out of his forearm, before throwing it to the side. As the sling landed softly on the ground, Nero reached for the red finger-less glove on his right hand, and took it off with his left.

The young man sighed, as he shoved the glove into the left pocket of his pants. "So how's this, then? This time, we do sudden death rules. Winner takes all."

The three Mega Scarecrows screeched at him in response.

Nero then grabbed the hilt of his Durandal with his left hand, while slowly clenching his right fist.

"And all bets are off," he snarled, as a blue light began to shine underneath his cast.

The Mega Scarecrow in the middle did not wait any longer, and lunged towards the devil hunter. Reacting to the demon's charge, Nero rushed forward while yanking the Red Queen from the ground. Dragging the sword behind him, the former knight brought his right arm forward. Both demon and warrior were within inches from each other.

And before they could touch each other, Nero's cast burst into a hue of blue light.

When it subsided, the Mega Scarecrow was struggling to escape the grasp of a spectral arm. The entire forearm was a phantasm blue, while most of the hand was covered with red flesh, but the clawed fingers were as blue as the entirety of the arm.

With the light gone, Nero's right limb was fully exposed. In the place of a regular human arm was, instead, an arm that was entirely disfigured, and was demonic to the point of being nearly draconic. His claws, palm, and forehand had glowing blue skin, with a large blue crack in the middle of his forearm. The rest of his arm was covered in red organic flesh, with a spike protruding from his elbow. Purple strap-like flesh covered the top part of his arm. More importantly, it resembled the spectral arm that held the demon in place.

Nero finally revealed the secret weapon that was his powerful right arm: the Devil Bringer.

With a snarl, Nero slammed the Mega Scarecrow into the ground with the phantom arm, the Spectral Bringer. Then, with a furious cry, he ran forward, and kicked the demon hard in the face. He then leaped into the air, and lunged his Bringer forward, which in turn whipped the Spectral Bringer forward to perform his Snatch technique. The Bringer Snatched the demon, and brought it upwards to him. He grabbed it, and spun in mid-air. After making one spin, he then tossed the demon downwards towards one of the other demons, where it exploded in slimy green bits.

When he landed, Nero noticed that the blade that was on the previously alive Mega Scarecrow had shot into the air due to the force of its destruction. Thinking quickly, he gripped his sword like a baseball bat, and waited for the blade to come closer to the ground. When it was within blade's reach, he struck the blade right in the middle, which sent it flying towards the demons. One of the demons had also charged forward, but was right in the middle of the flying blade's path. The large guillotine impaled itself into the chest of the demon, which stopped its charge.

The other demon had ran towards the demon hybrid, while spinning the blades in its arms. They spun wildly, and were seen as a silver circular blur. The Mega Scarecrow then literally threw its arms towards the attacking hunter. Nero prepared himself as the sharp boomerangs came to him. He dove between the two boomerangs, and quickly got to his feet. He raised the Red Queen to attack, as the blades returned to the Mega Scarecrow's shoulders.

The demon swung at him with its right blade, but he parried it with his blade. Nero then ducked underneath the left blade that went over his head. Using demonic energy, the part demon slid backwards with both hands on his Red Queen. Using his Devil Bringer, he channeled blue demonic aura to envelop the entirety of the blade. He charged forward and slashed the Mega Scarecrow with a rising slash, thus finishing his Shuffle technique.

The demon fell backwards on its back, with a large gash on its chest, with blue demonic aura burning its burlap skin. However, Nero was not going to give it the chance to recover, and leaped upwards. Bringing the tip of his sword downwards, he let out a battle cry, as he impaled his Red Queen into the chest of the Mega Scarecrow. The demon let out a screech of pain, but it was not over yet. Nero then twisted the handle of his blade, and revved it. Flaming propellant injected itself into the beast, and the Mega Scarecrow howled as its innards burned to ashes.

Suddenly, the Scarecrow then shot along the field, with Nero riding on top of it. He grinned ferociously as they approached a nearby wall to the street. When they were a few feet away from the wall, he pulled the sword out of the demon's chest, and jumped backwards. The Mega Scarecrow continued forward, until it smashed against the wall. When it made contact, however, it instead exploded in a surge of flames.

Nero did a back-flip, before landing on his feet. He stood up, and placed his sword over his shoulder, as he examined the fruits of his labor. The flames covered a large hole that led out of the complex, with smoke rising out of the sky There were not enough flames to block his path, so he finally decided to sheath the Red Queen, leave the premises, and head for the next objective.

However, Nero made sure to charge up the energy in his arm. The Devil Bringer began to glow blue. After a few seconds, the glow became purple. A few more seconds after that, it became red.

When it did, the last Mega Scarecrow lunged for him in mid-air. The large blade from the first Mega Scarecrow was still embedded in its chest, but its blind fury caused it to simply ignore the pain. Knowing that the demon was upon him, Nero did a one-hundred-eighty degree spin, and whipped out his Blue Rose. He channeled all the demonic energy in his right arm into the dual-barrel revolver. And finally, he fired it at the demon.

Two bullets enveloped in demonic aura flew into the Mega Scarecrow's chest. As soon as they made contact, the demon's chest burst into pieces. The charred remains of the monster flew backwards into the ground, as burnt beetles and green slime covered the floor. The large blade in its back spun in the air, before impaling itself into the floor.

Nero kept his eyes narrowed at the remains of the demons, waiting for anything else to happen. He gripped his gun tightly, before relaxing. The devil hunter then twirled the gun in his hand skillfully, before finally holstering it.

"And that, folks, is how you bring down the house," he said to no one in particular, as he walked out of his old training grounds.

As he walked away from the Garrison, Nero glanced at his Devil Bringer. He reached into his left pocket and pulled out some black medical tape. Nero examined the roll of tape, before shaking his head and putting it back in his pocket.

"Better save it for when I get back... _If_ I get back, that is," he muttered. "Still, buyin' a new sling's gonna be a pain in the ass."

Suddenly, he heard a noise coming from the left pocket of his coat. Reaching for it, he then pulled out is portable communicator.

"This is Nero. Somebody call, over?" he asked.

* * *

><p><strong>-Abandoned Warehouse - Hidden Laboratory- <strong>

"Yeah, it's me, kid," Dante answered. "We heard a few pops over here. Everything okay on your end?"

"_Yeah. Just ran into a few demons over here. Nothin' I couldn't handle on my own._" Nero's voice responded on the older hunter's communicator.

"I see. Well, did ya find anything?"

"_Nothing useful. No progress reports on potential suspects, or stupid notes on the whole 'Savior Project.' How are things on your end?_"

Trish, who was standing near a small, empty tank, spoke into her walkie-talkie. "We founds some interesting notes about shards they were using. Apparently, Agnus used these demonic shards of a 'Black Angel' to give life to our old friends, the Bianco Angelos."

* * *

><p><strong>-Residential District-<strong>

Nero's eyebrow arched upon hearing the news. "Shards? What else do those notes say?"

"_Supposedly, Agnus was studying one of the shards more closely in this lab. Unfortunately, the capsule that was holding it is empty,_" confirmed Trish, as her voice responded from the communicator.

He frowned. "You think the target got to it first?"

"_Possibly. Or maybe a demon found it, and now we've got a potentially powerful demon running amok._"

"_Just another day at the job,_" Dante quipped on the other end.

Nero merely sighed in frustration. "Anything else?"

"_We got word from Lady right before we contacted you. According to her, most of the notes are 'ancient history.' And by 'ancient,' I mean that's useless. She's turning back, and heading for the rendezvous point._"

"Yeah. I'm actually on my way there now. Listen, as soon as you guys finish, make sure you destroy all the research there."

* * *

><p><strong>-Hidden Laboratory-<strong>

"'So that no crazy kook can ever use it again.' Yeah, we got it kid," he said, as distant growls outside of the room caused him to smile expectantly. "And from the sound of things over here, it looks we're gonna have a little help with that."

"_Alright, then. See you guys over here._"

"And while you're at it, kid," interjected the red-clad devil hunter. "Don't do anything stupid. Like confronting the target on site," he warned.

"_Don't worry about me,_" was the younger hunter's response, before the walkie-talkie went silent.

Dante frowned, as he pocketed his communicator. "I got a bad feeling about this. And you know me: I never get a bad feeling."

Trish shrugged. "He could decide to actually follow your directions, you know."

"Yeah," he nodded. "But then the kid wouldn't be the kid, now would he?"

Trish gave him a small smile, as she put her hands on her hips. "Yeah, I guess not... Anyway, we're gonna have guests in a bit."

Dante returned the smile with an expectant grin, as he unholstered both Ebony and Ivory. "Yeah... Why don't we go say hi?"

* * *

><p><strong>-Business District-<strong>

Nero's trek was unpleasant to him, in the sense that it infuriated him. Everything his eyes landed on was a painful reminder to him of the events that led to the demise of his beloved home. He saw destroyed buildings that once belonged to respectful businesses, and apartment complexes that once housed innocent civilians. He knew the city was far from perfect, but he personally felt that no human being should ever have to experience what happened on that island. Was the stench of death that came from alleyways that housed rotting corpses.

Nevertheless, he kept a straight face as he walked in the middle of the street. Debris was on all sides, with abandoned cars littered around him and the distant sound of the howling wind entered his eardrums. His eyes only faced forward, never leaving the stone arch with the iron doors in front of him. He was silent, as he walked through the gate to enter the Opera House Plaza.

**-Arts District - Opera House Plaza-**

Nero continued walking as he entered the large, destroyed plaza. In front of him was the remains of the plaza's fountain, which still had running water flowing into the ground. In the distance, beyond the dead, wilted trees, was the remains of a large structure: the True Hellgate. The young hunter recalled that Dante had destroyed it when the Order had unleashed the horde of demons in the Savior's wake.

The boy's eyes then faced forward, and looked at the building ahead of him: the Opera House of Fortuna. There it stood, with both of the large pools of clear water at its sides, and the Gothic spires surrounding the round building. Round stained-glass windows surrounded the dome, with steeples at its side. In the past, the people of Fortuna who were followers in the Order's teachings attended Sunday Mass there. And every year, during the Festival of the Blade, the people would gather around to watch the Order's Songstress perform. Nero was there at the last performance that was held in the Opera House.

Right before the Fall of Fortuna.

The former Knight of the Order walked towards the building, walking past the destroyed building. He was about to sit on the stone steps and wait for his partners, when something caught his eye. On the sides of the stone path towards the Opera House were large black fences with stone lampposts. Sticking out of one of the lampposts was a blade that was usually found with Scarecrows. However, something about it was off.

Nero walked towards it to investigate. When he did, he found that the blade was indeed a Scarecrow's Guillotine. However, he noticed that it was only the top half of the blade, while the half that had the handle was nowhere present. But that was not why it caught his attention.

He touched the part of the blade that was cut softly. The boy slowly slid his hand across the metal. Nero's eyes slowly narrowed as he felt no imperfection in the touch. This told him that whatever cut the metal of the blade did it in a fluid manner, with no friction of the metal at all. But since he knew that the cut was a perfect slice, there was only one conclusion.

This blade's defect was caused by the target, who could possibly be inside.

Nero reached for the communicator in his coat pocket, but stopped himself. In his mind, he wrestled with himself for which action to take. His mind told him to contact his partners, and alert them of the possible sighting. That way, they could fight the target together. However, something deep in his mind, as well as the entirety of his heart, told him otherwise. If this truly was the target, then he wanted to confront him face-to-face, and alone. He wanted to look into culprit's eyes, before finally eliminating him. There would be no compromise, and no talking. Only vengeance.

And that alone, was everything to him. At that moment, he made his choice.

His hand moved away from his coat pocket, and reached for the Blue Rose instead. Holding it upwards, he proceeded to walk up the stone steps slowly. Nero saw the only entrance to the Opera House was the right corridor, so he walked down the red carpet that was tattered along it. When he reached the end, his eyes only fixated on the door inside. He even ignored the large, golden Divinity Statue, that depicted a creature with a female body but the head of a lion holding a large, golden hourglass above it.

The devil hunter slowly reached for the door with his Devil Bringer. He felt the wooden texture with the tips of his claws, and felt the cold metal of the ornate gold corners of the door. He took a deep, silent breath, and pushed the door slightly open. The doors creaked as he opened it, which made him cringe. Deciding that he had to open it quickly, Nero pushed the door open and entered the building.

**-Opera House-**

The part demon caught the door before it could slam closed. He then pushed it softly to close the entrance. Keeping his gun raised, he then walked down the staircase to enter the bottom floor of the chamber. He held his gun, and opened the wooden door slightly to look inside. He could see that there were a lot of broken chairs and large stones from the ceiling. He could also make out some glass. More importantly, nobody was inside.

Still moving with caution, Nero entered into the stage floor. Looking around, he realized that there was not much light in the room, save for the ones coming from the windows, whether they were broken or not. Many broken or damaged benches were along the walls. Nero recalled that many of them were broken by both him and Dante during their first encounter here. Looking up, he saw that the large statue of Sparda was still damaged; it was also a consequence of him and Dante's fight.

However, there were no signs of the target.

Relaxing, Nero holstered his gun, and took the communicator out of his pocket.

He pressed the button on its side, and spoke. "Dante, come in."

"_Heya, kid. What's up?_" said the voice of Dante on the other end.

Nero sighed. "I made it to the Opera House. I also secured the premises. It's vacant."

"_I thought we were doin' that once we were all_ together?"

"I checked to see if any monsters were present. There are none."

"_Right,_" Dante replied with an unbelieving tone. "_Listen, Lady just caught up to us. We're on our way to the Opera House now, so stay put until then._"

The boy thought to himself, before speaking again. "Just so you know, after I was done looking around, I found a small clue that may suggest that the target has been here."

Nero waited for a whole minute before he heard Dante's sarcastic reply. "_Of course you did._"

"I'm serious, old man!"

"_Sure. Look, we'll be there shortly. So stay put,_" the older devil hunter advised in an annoyed tone.

Nero frowned. Deciding to follow the man's instructions, and sat on the stage. Multiple scenarios went through his mind, as he wondered how Dante would chastise him, and how he himself would respond. The boy stopped however, when he felt a sensation in his right arm.

He looked at his Devil Bringer, and noticed that it was glowing. This particular sensation was something he referred to as his "Devil Bringer going off." It usually occurred when a powerful surge of energy was nearby.

Glancing over his shoulder curiously, he frowned when he saw that a part of the floor was glowing: a circular crest; the Songstress would always perform on this stage. It looked like a sun, in the center of it was an image that depicted hands reaching out in a circle. In the center of it all was a golden version of the Order's emblem. However, as soon as his Bringer went off, all the tile began to glow brightly in blue.

The young hunter arched an eyebrow curiously. He stood up on the stage, but did not step into the circle. After looking at it closely, Nero then recalled what Dante had told him long ago. After Dante defeated Agnus, a hidden elevator appeared that led to a hidden cavern beneath the island. Underneath the Opera House was a waterway that contained the Seal that opened the True Hellgate. However, due to the destruction of the Hellgate, the Seal was now rendered useless.

However, it was also likely that the target would come there.

The boy thought to himself. He could have a look, and see what was left of the Seal. However, he would risk himself getting in further trouble with the others. But if his assumption was correct, which was obvious considering the circumstances, then Nero would be one step closer to finding the target.

"And it's not like I'm goin' anywhere. I'm still technically 'staying put,'" he mused.

Deciding to test his luck, Nero slowly stepped onto the circle. He stood there for a few seconds, before he felt a jolt underneath him. Then, the circle underneath began to descend downwards like an elevator, with Nero along for the ride.

Nero waited as the platform slowed to a stop. This space around his very small, with gold linings along the walls. That all changed when he reached the bottom. The young hunter saw nothing but darkness, but his Devil Bringer began to glow, which gave the room enough light to give him a good view of his surroundings.

The platform had descended into a wide, circular room. Surrounding Nero along the walls were statuettes of Sparda that resembled the larger one in the Opera House. However, these statues were unharmed, and depicted Sparda in a robe while his hands were on the pommel of his sword that was pointing to the ground.

The other feature in the room was right in front of Nero. There were two iron doors, with golden emblems of the Order in the middle of them. Seeing as there were no handles on them, Nero realized that the doors needed to be pushed. So he walked over to the doors, opened the one on the right side, entered the next corridor.

**-Cavern of Sealing-**

The former knight walked into a dark corridor, with his Devil Bringer being the only light to guide him. As he walked, he could hear water dripping down the corridor, as well as water rushing down. This told him that he needed to keep an eye out if he did not want to fall into water.

But as he walked down the corridor, two flames suddenly lit on the walls next to him. He swiftly unholstered the Blue Rose, and pointed it forward. The young demon hybrid stood silently, waiting for something to occur. When nothing did, he continued to slowly tread forward. As he did, more flames lit themselves on the torches on the wall. The devil hunter continued to walk along the path, and finally made it to the end after a few minutes.

More flames lit, and he got a good view of the seal. Before him was a walkway that led to a small round platform. Surrounding it were large stone pillars with fire lit on top of them. Beyond that were three large waterways going forward, to the right, and to the left. Beneath it all was water so clear, that it gave the viewer a perfect mirror image of them looking back at themselves.

Nero's footsteps echoed along the cavern as he walked along the walkway. He finally approached the circular platform, and got a good look at the seal. It was made of some kind of black stone. However, red lines pulsed intricately inward, that formed an "X" in the middle of it. The outline of the black Seal was illuminated with red light. In the very center of the circle was a small, ornate hole made of gold, which displayed a red light inside.

The young hunter knelt near the hole, and stared at it. This was the True Hellgate's Seal. To unleash the demons for their grand plan, the Order had to use the key to open it. The key itself was none other than one of the Legendary Dark Knight's blades: the Dark O-Katana known as the Yamato.

Nero glanced at his Devil Bringer, and clenched it. Scoffing in disgust, he shook his head. Looking up, the former knight stared down into the darkness of the long cavern. He wondered what was inside, but figured that there was nothing but sewers.

Sighing he stood up. So far, there was nothing in there that was helpful in regards to the job. What was more unfortunate was that he was most likely going to get an earful from the others. A part of him hoped that they would not be there when he got back, but the thought was just wishful thinking.

"Guess this place is as empty as this whole stinkin' city," he remarked.

As he turned around, a whizzing sound came to his ears. Before he knew it, he felt something impale itself into his left hand. He cried out, as the pain registered in his mind. Nero lifted his hand, and winced at what he saw. Sticking through his hand, strangely, was a silver feather, made of entirely metal, that was now covered in his blood. The bottom tip of the feather pierced the skin.

Wincing, Nero easily pulled it out. He waited until his healing factor, an ability that was given to him three years prior, was finished closing the wound. His eyes then examined it closely.

'Where the hell did this come from?'

His thoughts were interrupted by the sound of flapping wings. Looking over his shoulder with furrowed eyes, he watched as a silver blur flew over him. He could not immediately identify it, but it appeared to resemble an owl. He watched it fly off into the middle corridor and further into the cavern.

"What the hell?" he whispered.

Unbeknownst to him, the blood in his hand began to drip down to the floor. Right underneath his hand, however, was the hole of the Seal. Blood droplets fell around the hole, before a few drops fell inside. The drops evaporated in seconds, but released blue demonic aura. The energy was all that was needed to activate the Seal's secondary function.

Nero squinted his eyes to look down the flooded tunnel, but was caught off guard when the floor beneath him began to glow a bright red. He covered his eyes with his Devil Bringer, continuously muttering "Shit" to himself as a humming noise went to his ears.

His eyes barely got a glimpse of the floor, and saw that the Seal's hole was shining red. But what really got his attention was that he was moving away from the platform, and moving towards the middle tunnel. The problem, though, was that his feet were not moving.

As he moved away from the light, he saw what was occurring. Somehow, the Seal generated an energy platform that hovered over the water. The entire platform was covered in red light, with the exact same pattern as the red lines on the Seal.

The hovering platform forced the demon hybrid down to his right knee, as he tried to register what was happening. When he realized what was going on, he was already too far to jump away.

Steadying himself to his feet, he pulled out the communicator and spoke to it. "Boss, come in! Dante, can you hear me?!"

His response was static. "Hello? Can anyone hear me? Trish, Lady! Can anyone respond?!"

Again, no one answered. "Shit!" he cursed.

Sighing exasperatedly, he put the walkie-talkie back into his coat, and unholstered his gun. He and the hovering platform were moving in deeper into the tunnel.

'Well, I did want to know what was down here,' he thought humorously.

As he was covered in darkness, the only light he could see was the blue glow of the Devil Bringer and the red light of the platform. The platform moved down the corridor for a few minutes. Surrounding him was the sound of rushing water. After a few minutes, Nero finally saw something ahead. It was a wall, but on its surface was a large emblem of the Order of the Sword. Arching an eyebrow, the former knight wondered about its purpose.

Then, the platform began to glow brighter. At the same time, the large emblem on the wall began to glow red. Then, a large rumbling sound was heard, as the wall was raised into the ceiling. Behind it, were two lit torches on the side of two walls. What was strange about the torches, however, was that the flames were blue.

The platform hovered into the corridor. Immediately, Nero could hear that the sound of the water was stronger, indicating that it was going downwards. His suspicions were proved to be right, when he felt his stomach churn as the platform descended forward.

His eyes widened when he heard the wall closing the entryway behind him. Nero was now trapped.

He did not know where this path lead to, but he knew one thing for certain.

"Dante's gonna kill me."

* * *

><p><strong>-Opera House-<strong>

"I'm gonna kill that kid."

Dante, Trish, and Lady stood before the large hole in the stage that led to the underground cavern. When they arrived, they had discovered the Nero had gone against the original plan, and went ahead. This greatly annoyed a certain red-clad devil hunter.

"That kid always follows directions. And the one time I needed him to do _just_ that, he doesn't. Should've seen this comin'," he sighed.

The blonde she-devil shrugged her shoulders prettily. "But then he wouldn't be the kid, would he?"

Dante only pouted in annoyance.

Sighing in frustration, Lady voiced out the next course of action. "Alright, which of you is gonna drop down there and get the elevator?"

Both women looked at Dante while the human devil hunter spoke. The man's frowned deepened.

"A man's gotta do what a man's gotta do," Trish quipped.

"Yeah, yeah," he muttered in a resigned tone.

* * *

><p><strong>-Hidden Aqueduct-<strong>

Nero was now sitting down on the platform, with his legs crossed, and the claws of his Devil Bringer slowly strumming on his knee. He had gotten tired of standing, and decided to wait it out until the ride was over. However, he made sure to have his gun on hand.

The platform's descent ended a few minutes prior, and the young demon hunter was now moving forward. He saw that the floating platform was now closer to the water below, but there was no light to ahead to tell him where he was heading; he could only see the blue flames lit on the torches in the walls.

His face had a bored expression on it, but deep down, he was actually curious at these turn of events. Nero surmised that wherever he was going had to be important, if his own Devil Bringer brought him on this hidden path. The former knight wondered whether or not the corridor was something that even the Order was unaware of.

And as he mused to himself, a thought suddenly came to his head. What if at the end of this path... Was none other than the target?

Dante and the others were far away, which only meant one thing: Nero would have _him_ all to himself.

The determined hunter continued to sit down on the platform, as it floated forward.

He did not know how long he had been on the platform made of energy. To him, it felt like minutes, but perhaps he was wrong, and he'd been missing for hours? At one point, Nero rested his chin on his Bringer hand, with an unamused expression on his face. More minutes passed, and his eyes began to look tired.

But just before he decided to sleep, a light got the boy's attention.

It was rather small, but still visible in distance. Nero stood up, as the platform got closer to the light. When the platform did, he noticed that the surroundings had changed. The chamber that he was in now was wider than the corridor he was in a few minutes ago, but the blue flames along the wall were still visible. A large wall was in front of him, with pillars along it, and blue torches embedded on them.

The young man then felt the platform slow down, and he took it as his cue to stand up. The floating platform was approaching a stone dock, and Nero waited patiently for it hover above it. When it finally did, the demon hunter stepped off of the platform. As soon as he did, the platform shone with a bright red hue, before disappearing. The boy briefly glanced at it, before looking forward. Ahead, he saw some small stone steps that lead to the light, which was actually on the other side of a long corridor.

Tightly gripping his Blue Rose, Nero walked forward with caution. His footsteps echoed across the chamber, as his eyes remained focused on the path ahead. His eyes squinted as he got closer and closer to the light. Finally entered the next chamber.

And what he saw left him in complete awe.

**-Chamber of the Crystal-**

"Whoa," he whispered to himself.

Nero now found himself in a large circular room, that was dome shaped. But that was not what astounded him. Surrounding the entirety of the dome were large crystals of varying colors. Some were blue, others were red. Among the colors that caught his eye were green, orange, pink, silver, peach, and pearl. Each one stuck out in a tetragonal shape, with different lengths to each of them. What truly astounded him, however, was that the crystals seemed to emit their own light, which seemed impossible to him.

The young man's mouth slacked open in awe. He recalled having heard about something like this once when Patty was over. She was watching a program on the small T.V. back at the shop. Apparently this type of structure was called a "geode." They occurred in certain types of sedimentary and volcanic rocks, and were formed by chemical precipitation, or something like that. However, he knew that were no volcanoes on the island whatsoever. Which also made him wonder: how far underground was he?

He walked down the stone walkway, and looked at what was in the center of the room. Underneath the stone walkway, and around the room was running water. Along the dome were holes that let water rush in. Nero deduced that there must have been a tunnel under the water to let it out somewhere else, which was probably why the room was not flooded entirely.

Nero walked up the stone steps and moved along the stone platform. It was circular, and stood before a larger waterfall. The young man then noticed a large slab leaning at the top of a rectangular pedestal. Looking into it, he saw a rather interesting, yet confusing sight. On the top of the was the English alphabet, and the numbers 0 to 9. However, right before it were three words written in a strange manner, that he could not decipher. Looking down, he saw that there were different inscriptions lined up with the letters of the alphabet and the numbers. Looking at the side, he saw that there were three were in English, but found their meanings confusing. On the set below the English alphabet read "Cocoon," while below that read the word "Pulse." Underneath that was a word he did not understand: "Etro."

"What is this? Some kind of Rosetta Stone?" he questioned.

As he was about to examine the slab further, his Devil Bringer began to go off. He glanced at his arm as it pulsed continuously like a heartbeat. Furrowing his eyes, he looked up to see what had changed around him, but then saw something immediately. He was so fixated on the crystals surrounding him, he didn't see the one right in the middle of the chamber.

To his surprise was a large floating crystal that was colored blue. Unlike the geometrically shaped crystals along the walls, this crystal was more rigid, with multiple dents around it. However, the crystal gave off a bright blue light, that wrapped an eerie aura around it. The tips at the top and bottom of it were very sharp.

Nero's eyes were transfixed on the large crystal, as he approached it. The closer he got to it, the faster his right arm pulsed. Soon, he found himself standing before the large stone. The young man examined his arm. His blue skin shone as brightly as the crystal as he stood before it. Slowly, he curiously extended his Devil Bringer to it. He hesitantly stopped right before touching its surface, but after a few seconds, finally touched it with his claw.

Immediately, the crystal began to glow brighter. Nero covered his eyes and stepped away from the glowing crystal. Then, the blue crystal floated upwards. The demon hunter watched as it ascended upwards, and stopped a few meters above him. Suddenly, the crystals surrounding the room began to glow as the large blue one. All of the crystals in the chamber shone in perfect synchronization. The young man then became nervous when he heard humming all around him. Finally, after a few agonizing seconds, the humming stopped.

The crystals, then shot lasers that were aimed towards the large blue one. As more lasers penetrated the blue crystal, it shone even brighter than before, but with a white hue. After a whole fifteen seconds, the lasers stopped, while the larger crystal continued to levitate. Then the bright light subsided entirely. Nero then heard an even louder humming, and before he knew it, the blue crystal fired its own laser. The beam shot toward the larger waterfall, and what happened next shocked Nero. The energy from the beam hit the waterfall, but the energy it accumulated pulsed through the water. The color of the clear water changed into a hue of light green.

They boy's eyes furrowed, further when he saw that the water was morphing into a shape. He watched awe as the water formed the shape of a female figure that displayed up to the head and waist. The figure had some kind of headdress that let the hair flow wildly to the sides like the tails of a fish. Her arms were deformed, as it was missing a hand altogether. Examining it further, he saw that the fingers were actually chains with flailing limbs altogether.

The boy walked closer to the waterfall and stared at it in awe. Was this thing some kind of demon, and it merely displayed some fancy fireworks to announce its appearance? He tried to sense anything from the figure, but felt nothing. This told him that it was not alive.

Suddenly, he heard a familiar sound behind him: the sound of wings flapping. Quickly turning, he saw the silver blur from earlier flying towards him. Only this time, he got a better look at it. It actually was an owl, but something about it seemed off. The owl was silver to the point of being metallic. He saw that there were two black symbols on its wings, that resembled a bull's head when he saw it. Its talons were made of metal, and on its chest was a white face with its eyes closed. Two long strands of hair flowed down to its chest. What caught him off guard however, was how hollow its eyes were, like the lens of a camera.

Nero raised his Devil Bringer to protect himself. This proved to be a mistake, however, when the owl grabbed his arm with its talons. The demon hunter hissed in pain, but was given no opportunity to retaliate. Against all logic, the bird continued flying forward, and dragged Nero into the air with it. Eyes widening, Nero tried to reach for his gun. It was too late, unfortunately, and before he could anything, he and the bird reached the large female figure. Right as they touched it, a bright light enveloped both of them. And after a brief flash, they were gone.

As soon as they left, the female figure lost its green color, and became water again. Gravity did its job, and formed a waterfall from the water comprising the figure. Meanwhile, the blue crystal silently floated down to its spot on the platform.

* * *

><p><strong>-Boundary Beyond-<strong>

"AAAAAAAHHH!" screamed the young devil hunter, as he fell downwards.

Large rays of green light passed him and the bird by, as they continued to fall into an endless tunnel. Wind pushed against Nero's face, as both his hair, and the tail of his blue coat flailed wildly.

The bird let go of his Devil Bringer, and flapped its wings. It then flew onward, with speed that was faster than Nero's. He was so shocked by the present event, that he did not bother to take his gun out and fire at it.

"Shit! Shit! Shit! Shit! Shit!" he cursed loudly, as he tried to recover in mid-air. However the force of the gravity pulling him gave him no respite.

After a few moments, Nero then saw a bright, white light below him. He was panicking as his body approached it. The closer he got to it, the more he was blinded.

When he finally reached it, the only thing he could see was white.

"Shit! Shit! Shit! SHIT! SHIT! SHIIIT!" was the last thing he said, before the light completely enveloped him.

* * *

><p><span>Ch. 3: Starting Off on the Wrong Foot<span>

Nero awakens in a beach, finding himself in a foreign town. He discovers that not only is he faraway from anything familiar, but has been spirited away to a new world. Nero finds himself in trouble with the local authorites, specifically a certain Sergeant. But even while traversing terra incognita, painful reminders of his past appear to him. He gazes at the sea, remembering what it is that he fights for.

* * *

><p><strong>READ &amp; REVIEW!<strong>


	4. Starting Off on the Wrong Foot

**Updated: 7-23-2014**

* * *

><p><strong>The Seaside City of Bodhum- Starting Off on the Wrong Foot<strong>

* * *

><p><strong>-Cocoon-<strong>

**-The Seaside City of Bodhum - Outskirts-**

"Lightning to 'Daddy Bear.' I found the targets. It's just like we heard. I count at least five," a woman, Lightning, reported to into her earpiece.

"_Daddy Bear, here. I read you loud and clear. Can you handle them on your own?_" came the voice of "Daddy Bear" on the other end.

Her eyes scanned the targets before her with complete focus. She could hear the monsters, the Bloodfang Bass, growling around her. They had the body of a fish, with silver scales over its torso, pectoral fins on its cheeks, and a dorsal fin on its back. A long tail followed each one, as their grey eyes just glared at her. Their limbs, however, were different from the body, as they were red, with webbed claws. Their hind legs were long legs that were used to jump, similar to those of a grasshopper.

She counted three in front of her, and two behind. 'I'm surrounded,' she mused to herself, not bothered by the situation presented before her.

She huffed, as the opposition was something she was capable of handling. "Just give me two minutes," she replied, before shutting off her communicator.

"Lightning" Farron wore a sleeveless, white overcoat, with a red cape attached behind her left shoulder, and a brown turtleneck shirt with a zipper. A green metallic pauldron with yellow stripes covered her left shoulder, while a long black sleeve covered her left arm. Two blue finger-less gloves, with golden bullet holders on the forehand, were on both of her hands. A pair of brown boots with gray straps was on her feet, while a red ammunition pack was strapped to her left thigh. She wore a brown mini-skirt over high-topped shorts, with a long black weapons case attached to the belt of her skirt. Her skin was very light, which allowed anyone during the day and night to see her the pink color of her lips, and the pale aqua hue of her irises. Her most noticeable feature, however, was her rose colored hair that was combed to the right, with hair draped over her left shoulder.

She reached for the weapons case behind her, and pressed a button on her weapon. Instantly, the weapon slightly popped out of her case. Lightning used her finger to unfold a black handle. When she finally gripped it, she pulled out a gun that was as long as a rifle, with a long, silver, rectangular barrel, with a red guard over the trigger. However, the barrel was different, as it was an extended barrel. The woman pressed a switch on the handle, that made the barrel folded inwards, similar to the handles of a balisong knife. In between both sides of the barrel extended a curved, single-edged blade with three holes extended out. Black and red lines ran along the steel surface.

Swiping her weapon, a gunblade named Blazefire Saber, Lightning's body tensed, as she got into a fighting stance.

"Come on," she beckoned.

She listened to her instincts. The five Bloodfang Bass skittered around her slowly. The woman waited patiently; this was not the first time she fought this species of beasts. Every time one jumped to attack, they left themselves open to a strike.

She then saw an opportunity, when she heard sound to the right behind her. She then swung her Saber to the right, not even bothering to look over her shoulder. Lightning did not need to, as she felt her gunblade meet resistance with her swing; the Bloodfang Bass was fatally wounded. As quickly as she struck before, she repeated her attack by slashing to the left as fast as her namesake. The Saber sliced through the Bass' vitals, and the sound of it falling to the ground came to her ears.

Lightning then heard a screech approaching from behind. She sighed to herself silently, before making her next move. Quickly turning around, she gripped her blade tightly with both hands, and cut the beast in its stomach. Her attack was executed so quickly, that not one drop of the green fluids of its body got on her person.

'Now, the only ones left are the two behind me,' Lightning told herself, as she planned her next course of action in her mind.

With a deep breath, she turned around to face the last two Bloodfang Bass, but was never given the chance. As soon as her eyes landed on the beasts, a gunshot rang in the air. One of the monsters' side burst open. It was not dead, but its green innards began spilling into the ground.

"We'll help!" shouted the voice of a woman. The sound of an air bike also whistled in the background.

'You're not helping; you're just getting in the way!' Lightning mentally hissed, as she lowered her weapon.

"Yuj, go get 'em!" ordered the voice.

"Hang on tight! Here we go!" replied another voice belonging to a young man, Yuj. "Lebreau, to the right!

The next second, a bullet penetrated the other Bass' head, and then another bullet pierced the previous one's stomach, thus ending the threat of the targets.

"Got it!" confirmed the woman, Lebreau.

The rose-haired woman blinked; the last shot was actually a good one, not that she would ever admit it. Her weapon shifted back into a gun, with the blade compressing back into the two halves of the barrel. The barrel extended back to its original form, before Lightning finally sheathed it back into its case. She then folded the black handle back into place.

Looking up at the new arrivals, the girl realized that the one who had fired the gun was sitting behind the other person, who was driving the air bike. The air bike descended towards her, before stopping a few feet away. This gave her a good view of its two occupants.

The one driving the vehicle was a young man, Yuj was his name if she heard the other voice right. He had feathery blue hair and hazel eyes. He wore an orange shirt with a subtle yellow gradient, a dark red, long-sleeved shirt underneath, as well as black leather pants and black leather boots. His pants had a bag on the right hip, which Lightning deduced was sewn into place. He had a scarf with feather adornments tucked into his belt, which seemed to be made up of multiple links of metal with a small pattern pressed into them. The young man also wore a necklace with a leather square that had the same patterns as the belt embossed upon it. He also had metal pendant over his clothing.

The one who had the gun was actually a woman her age, with shoulder length black hair, with a bun tied on top of her head, and brown eyes. She wore a white blouse loosely, with the lower part buttoned up, underneath a purple bikini top with a yellow band holding it together, with a silver pendant in the middle. She also wore brown leather bikini bottoms, while wearing a purple belt with half a yellow frilled skirt attached to the left side. Dark purple leggings hugged her legs, which were transparent over her knees. Red shoes with a small black heel covered her feet, and a rainbow bracelet was on her left wrist. Lightning realized that the girl showed off a lot of skin, as evident when she saw a light purple-blue tattoo of a butterfly on her right shoulder blade, where she rested the long black rifle.

However, each of the individuals were wearing civilian clothes, and had no gear that would protect them from these beasts if they were attacked head on.

'They're just amateurs,' she analyzed.

Yuj sighed in relief. "Whew. Clean up complete."

Lebreau smiled at her. "Hey there, soldier. You were in really tough spot, weren't you?"

The female soldier merely looked at her with a blank expression. "Who are you?" she asked bluntly; she tried to act cold and hard.

Her demeanor went unnoticed by the other woman. "We're NORA," she replied.

This made Lightning frown even further.

Lebreau looked at her with an amused expression. "You're with the GC's Bodhum Security Regiment, right? Surely you've heard a few things about us, right?"

Lightning noticed that the girl's boast was rather confident. Where she got such bravado interested her, but she did not want to get involved with these two.

"Sorry. Never heard of you," she responded curtly, before turning her heel and walking away.

As she walked, she could her the girl speak in surprise. "Really?"

"What? That's weird... I figured we'd be more famous than that," the boy muttered.

"Well, we're not doin' this for fame, Yuj. And that's fine," she told.

"Well, yeah, I know that. It's just not as fun when people don't know who we are..."

Their voices drowned out, as Lightning walked further away from them. She shook her head, and thought about how foolish they were for actually thinking that they had helped her. If anything, they had interfered with her mission. Seeing how proud they looked annoyed her, which was the only reason she had chosen to lie to them.

She had lied about her not knowing about NORA; she felt angry at herself for it. Lightning in fact knew a lot about NORA. Specifically, she knew that her younger sister, Serah, spent a lot of free time hanging out with them.

* * *

><p><em>"NORA is an acronym that stands for 'No Obligations, Rules, or Authority.' They own a shop here in Bodhum, but its actually a cafe. Many locals and tourists are attracted to it. They actually grow their own food there! And later, when there's trouble, they go help clean up monster infestations around the city."<em>

* * *

><p>Lightning scoffed in disgust. "NORA, huh? You amateurs actually think you're heroes?"<p>

**-Rendezvous Point-**

The soldier made it to the gathering point. All around her, soldiers, armed and unarmed, walked around after completing their objectives, while others praised on a job well done as she passed by.

The female operatives wore a light beige overcoat, which was longer than Lightning's, that had a black leather strap across the midriff, with a black holster attached to it. A pistol was inside it. However, they each had gold badge of the Bodhum Security Regiment over their right breast. They wore a short sleeve, gray turtleneck underneath, and had transparent leggings on their legs, with black leather boots on their feet. Green shoulder pauldrons with two light yellow lines were on each shoulder. Their signature black hat was on each of their heads.

As she walked, a male operative walked towards her. He wore the standard men's uniform. The soldier had a gray, short sleeve shirt underneath a black and white overalls, that was underneath a light yellow, sleeveless vest, with black straps around the shoulders and across the waist. He wore a black belt with multiple packs around its length. Brown boots with gray straps were on his feet, while a pair of brown leather gloves were on his hands. On his shoulders were two light green pauldrons with two orange lines across them. The standard black leather cap was on his head.

The soldier addressed her as he caught up to her. "Another successful operation. Well done, Sergeant Farron!"

"Where's Lieutenant Amodar?" she asked, as she brushed off the praise.

The male operative pointed over to one of the unmanned vehicles. "He's chatting over there."

She could hear his loud laugh even as she stood fifty feet away. Seeing her superior, she walked over to him. As she got closer, however, she realized that he wasn't alone.

Lieutenant Amodar was a tall man, with an oval face and dark skin. He had short, spiky brown hair and a brown mustache on his face. He wore a white shirt with silver stripes underneath his white and blue jacket. Light brown straps went over his shoulders, and went around his stomach and legs. He had a bracer on his right arm, with two orange fluorescent stripes, which indicated his status as a Lieutenant within the Corps. His black and white pants had orange stripes at the sides. He also wore two green pauldrons with two orange stripes on them, and also wore metal boots on his feet.

The man next to him was also very tall, but was also very younger. He wore a black bandanna, which hid his light blonde hair underneath, and blue eyes. A stubble beard was on his chin, which was light blonde as well. He wore a long, short sleeve, beige trench coat, with a light blue vest under it, that also hid a black shirt. On his legs was a dark gray, while a striped, blue scarf hung off of the belt on his waist. Black gloves were on his hands, and large gray combat boots were on his feet. A small, silver necklace, with two studded jewels was around his neck. It looked like a badge, but it had the picture of a cat around it. Lightning knew it as the logo of NORA, as Serah had explained previously.

Amodar laughed as he listened to the man's tale. "Surrounded by monsters, huh? So what did ya do after that?"

"Well, they just kept coming and coming!" the younger man told with a wide grin. "Then all of our bullets ran out. At that point, all we could do was punch 'em!"

Amodar shook his head. "You idiot! How many did you get after that?"

"Hehe, there were, like, twenty of them, or more. Heck, there were too many to even count!"

Lightning's lips dipped into a frown when she saw who the man was. "It's that guy..."

She approached the two, while the male operative followed her. Amodar was the first to welcome her.

"Ah, if it isn't the Commander! Good work today!" he greeted.

Lightning's rank was actually that of a Sergeant, and she knew that the Lieutenant knew this as well. This told her that Amodar was joking around with her, like always. She decided to retaliate, in her own way.

Raising an eyebrow sternly, she looked at her superior officer. "'Commander?' What sort of joke is this, '_Lieutenant_?'" she demanded, while putting emphasis on the word "Lieutenant."

He grinned. "Well, you are the raid leader, right?"

Lightning shook her head in amusement, before looking at the other man. "So, who's this?"

The man in the bandanna blinked, as she gestured to him. "Huh? Who, me?"

The male soldier addressed him. "Oh, they're NORA, Sergeant. You haven't heard of them before?"

Lightning merely frowned. NORA again.

"They're a vigilante group made up of young people here in the city," Amodar explained, as he took her silence as a sign of her not knowing of the group. "This man here is their leader, Snow."

The man in the bandanna, Snow, waved at her. "Hi there!"

The Lieutenant then looked at the man. "This lady here is our raid commander. She's a little young, but she's very good!"

He then pointed at Lightning's weapons case. "That weapon she's got there, the Blazefire Saber? That thing's a gunblade! You might not know this, 'cuz you're a civilian, but the Sanctum only gives those weapons out to soldiers with amazing abilities. Ain't that somethin'?"

"Is that right?" Snow replied.

The woman lightly blushed at the compliment. "Sir, can we please not talk about this?"

Though she didn't want him to continue praising her abilities, she felt happy to hear them coming from Amodar. It pleased her to know that her superior officer held her in such high regard.

"And that Blazefire Saber is special," he continued. "It's even got a special inscription on it! How'd it go again? 'White flash - Take on my name,' or somethin' like that?"

'It's 'Invoke my name - I am Spark,'' she mentally corrected, though she would never say it out loud.

"Anyway, it's pretty much thanks to her that we managed to clean up the monsters here so quickly," Amodar explained.

"Wow! She must be pretty amazing then!" Snow praised. The soldier ignored it.

"Your group still disappointed that there wasn't much of a catch for you guys today?" the older man queried.

The leader of NORA shrugged. "Nah. After all, these aren't the only monsters hiding around."

"That so?" Amodar asked.

"Yep. If we smoke 'em out, more'll come running right after the other."

"Hey, I'm all for smoking them out. Just don't make too much of a disturbance," he cautioned.

"Trust me. You guys won't have to worry about that," Snow assured.

"You guys sure are an energetic bunch, ain't ya?" Amodar grinned. "You and your group ever thought about joining the army?"

"Nah. Rules and uniforms don't really fit our style, y'know?" he dismissed.

The Lieutenant chuckled, as he shoved the young man playfully. "Hey, hey! Be careful with what you say! Haha!"

Snow laughed at the man's antics, before sighing. "Well, since the monsters have been taken care of, we should really get going."

The other male soldier pointed to him jokingly, as he walked to his air bike nearby. "Hey, you guys better not get carried away, or anything. PSICOM's nothing like us, and they won't overlook you if you get caught doing something like this."

Snow grinned dismissively as he sat on his air bike, and started it. "Don't worry," he assured, before pumping his fist in the air. "The army's no match for NORA!"

The motor came to like, as his red air bike's engines turned on. Dust kicked up around it, as it got ready to leave.

"Well, I"m off!" he called as he was about to leave.

However, a voice stopped him. "Wait."

Looking to the right, he saw that the rose haired soldier, Lightning she was called, was approaching him.

"Snow, is it?" she asked.

"Yeah. What's up?" he asked, as he shut off his air bike.

Lightning's eyes narrowed at him. "You're the one that's been following my sister around, lately."

Snow blinked. "Uh, your sister?"

She frowned. "Serah Farron."

As soon as she finished talking, Snow's eyes shot open in recognition. "OH!" He then quickly got off of his bike, and walked towards the soldier.

"Ah, so _you're_ Serah's sister!" he realized, as he examined her. "Yeah... Serah _did_ say that her sister was a soldier. Both of your faces look so similar... But look so different at the same time."

The soldier crossed her arms, looking back at Snow with serious eyes as he continued to look at her with his eyes on his hips. "You know, when I first saw you, I kinda thought that it might be you. Guess I was right."

He then grinned."Well, it's nice to meet you at last! I'm Snow Villiers," he greeted. "I'm gonna help you take care of Serah."

The man then extended his right hand to her. Lightning's frown then dropped into a scowl, as she saw his smile.

"_Stay away from Serah._"

Snow blinked once. He then looked at his hand, and saw that she still had not taken it. His eyes then looked back at hers, which stared back at him with a hardened glare. He then looked back at his hand again, and then to her eyes.

Snow's grin faltered. "Wait... What?"

Her glare didn't budge an inch. "I said _stay away from my sister._"

With that, she turned her heel, and walked away. Serah had told her that she had hung out with the group, and mostly spoke about a man named Snow Villiers. The man looked almost as old as her, which was two years older than Serah's nineteen-year-old self. And from his conversation with the Lieutenant, she could already tell what kind of man he was. He was brash, arrogant, chummy, brutish, and...

"And if I didn't?"

... Stupid.

Lightning stopped walking, as if wondering if she had actually heard those words come out of his mouth. To her irritation, he actually repeated it.

"So if I don't stay away? Then what?" he challenged softly.

Turning around, she gave him a hard glare that was only reserved for her enemies.

"Then I _make you,_" she explained with finality, while cracking her fingers for emphasis.

The leader of NORA, however, only chuckled in response; she realized he was also stubborn. "Sorry, but even punching me's not gonna work. I'm kinda hard-headed, you see."

With that, he walked back to his air bike, and started it again. After a few seconds, dust kicked around him and the vehicle. Finally, the air bike floated off of the ground, and took off into the air.

The soldier's feet was rooted to the spot, as she glared at the man's back as he flew away. Her fists were clenched tightly, as she felt furious over her failed attempt to dismiss the man. Whether he liked it or not, he was not going to get involved with her sister, or her sister's goals of going to university next year.

She would make sure of that, one way or the other.

The voice of the male soldier interrupted her thoughts. "Hey, Sergeant. Do you know that guy?"

Taking in a deep breath, she turned on her heel, and walked past him, and Amodar. "No, I don't. Lieutenant, I'm heading back to base."

Lieutenant Amodar only watched her with an amused look. "Well. Looks like the Commander is in a bad mood, tonight. Guess she doesn't seem to think much about the heroic kids."

The female soldier stopped briefly. She said nothing for a moment, before speaking. "Lightning to 'Daddy Bear.' Mission Accomplished. Returning to base."

Amodar shook his head, before responding. "'Daddy Bear.' Understood."

At that, Lightning walked away, with eyes forward and her thoughts to herself.

Though, had she, or anyone else, been looking out to the sea, she would have seen the brief, yet bright, green flash over it.

* * *

><p><strong>-Cocoon Sea-<strong>

Nero was at the brink of consciousness as his body fell into the water. Bubbles escaped from his nostrils as he sunk deeper.

However, he stopped sinking after a few meters. Slightly opening his eyes, he could see his silver her flailing slowly, while beyond that was a blurry white light.

He could feel his body floating upwards. But by then, he was too tired to keep his eyes open. As he ascended to the surface, the light began to glow brighter. Slowly, he raised his Devil Bringer, and reached for the light. It shone brightly, to the point of blinding his vision.

Then, all he could see was darkness.

* * *

><p><em>"Do you ever wonder what it would have been like?"<em>

_Nero blinked, as he turned to face her. "Excuse me?"_

_"Do you ever wonder what it would have been like... If the island had not been overrun with demons like it was?"_

_Nero and Kyrie were sitting down on a beach, as they had finally found time for themselves. The previous weeks were strenuous, as all of the survivors of Fortuna had found a new island to inhabit, that they named Nuova Fortuna. Thanks to the remaining knights, they were able to amass enough wood to build new houses. They had actually made significant progress. _

_This day was the day that the annual Festival of the Blade was held. Since they did not have the proper means to celebrate it, the community had decided to give all the workers a day to rest and regain the bearings. _

_Nero had decided to take Kyrie on a picnic to the beach. Even though the sun and his skin did not get along well, he felt that the date would mean a lot to his girlfriend. Fortunately, Kyrie had found some shade by the trees, and decided to set their red, plaid blanket there._

_He sighed, as he looked at her. Today, Kyrie had decided to not tie her hair into a ponytail, and let her hair hang loose. She wore a white sundress, with white slippers on her feet._

_"Well... For one thing, we wouldn't have to work as hard as we do now. We'd actually have a solid foundation to start with," he admitted._

_She giggled at him. "That's true, I suppose."_

_The couple then sat silently, as the sounds of the waves lapping onto the ground hit the shore. The wind softly blew into their faces, and rustled the trees above them._

_"Nero... Have you ever had a dream?"_

_The former knight blinked, as the question registered into his head. "Huh? Where'd that come from?"_

_She shrugged. "I'm just curious."_

_The young man rubbed his chin with his right hand. "A dream, huh?" He hummed to himself in thought, before shrugging. "Sorry. I've never really thought about that."_

_Her brown eyes dipped sadly, before looking away. "I see."_

_Something was up. So he pried further. "What about you? You ever had any dreams?"_

_The former Songstress was silent for a few moments. "No... At least, not anymore."_

_Nero's eyes furrowed in confusion. "What do you mean?"_

_"It's just... In my heart, I had dreams. But now... All that's left are regrets."_

_The man silently gasped._

_"No, it's nothing you have done. You've done absolutely nothing wrong," she assured. "Only... The regrets I have are of what happened back in Fortuna."_

_Nero's eyes dipped sadly. He knew what she was referring to. "You're talking about Credo, right?"_

_Kyrie nodded. "I just... I wished to live happily with both of you. To live, and spread joy, and to help people with both of you at my side." She paused. "But, it was not to be..."_

_Nero frowned. "Kyrie. What happened to Credo and Fortuna was not because of anything you did. No one could have foreseen what was going to happen."_

_She smiled faintly. "I know that. But... I suppose I just regret how it all happened."_

_The former knight looked at her, and said nothing. He knew that she was still shocked about what had happened. But even then, he swore to give her something to keep her going in this time of turmoil._

_'Dreams, huh?'_

* * *

><p><strong>-Day 3-<strong>

**-Cocoon-**

**-The Seaside City of Bodhum - Outskirts Beach-**

The first thing he could hear was the sound of overlapping waves, and seagulls in the distance.

Nero's eyes opened slowly, squinting as the sun's rays fell to his eyes. He saw a clear blue sky, with clouds above him. He sat up, groaning as he felt sand on his hands, as well as falling off of his clothes. Rubbing his eyes, he looked out into the stretch of water before him. After a few minutes, the devil hunter finally regained enough will power to get up to his feet.

The young man rubbed his head in thought, as he tried to recall the last thing he could remember. He remembered that he went to the Hellgate's Seal, and investigated it. The series of events that followed ended up with him finding that large crystal room. Then that big blue crystal fired that beam, and that huge figure appeared. Next, that owl flew in out of nowhere, and dragged him to the large figure. Before he knew it, he found himself falling down. After that, he blacked out.

He audibly groaned, as he reached for the portable communicator in his coat pocket. If he was lucky, then he was probably somewhere else on the island.

Nero pressed the button, and spoke. "Boss, this is Nero. Come in-"

As soon as he pressed it, a spark inside the walkie-talkie went off. After five seconds, smoke came out of it. Nero stared at useless device, noticing that it was wet. The irritated young man threw his arms in the air, realizing that the communicator had short-circuited.

"Great," he hissed, before throwing the communicator onto the sand. "JUST FREAKIN' GREAT!"

Gritting his teeth in frustration, Nero ran his hands through his hair, while looking up at the sky. What he saw though, caused his mind to stop for a brief moment.

"What... In the hell...?"

His arms fell to the sides, as he stared at the large structure that reached up to the clouds. The tower was long, with four spires surrounding it, and smaller spires coming out of them. Two larger spires stretched out from both sides near the top, and had large chains underneath them. He could see a smaller structure at the top, with two spires jutting out from beneath it. What astounded him most was that floating in front of it was this blue figure, that seemed to have a pair of blue, transparent, butterfly-esque wings, as well as a tail. Squinting his eyes, it looked like it had a female face with a large headdress. From that figure, came out long lines of blue energy, that flailed in front of it like a shield.

Nero blinked twice, with his jaw slacked open. He scratched his head with his Devil Bringer in confusion, as he tried to discern his location.

"Okaaay," he mused. "Pretty sure we never had anything like that in Fortu...na..."

His voice trailed off, as he looked out into the distance, and was expecting to see the horizon, like he thought he saw earlier. However, he saw no horizon. In fact, he saw no blue sky. Looking up, he saw the sea stretch upwards. And what surprised him, was there was land on the other side of the sea. Looking further, he noticed small lights on the land. Looking directly above him, he finally saw a blue sky and the sun. What was out of place, however, was the white floating object in the sky.

"What... In... The hell...?"

The devil hunter placed his left hand on his face before dragging it down. 'Alright... First thing's first. I gotta find out where I'm at.'

Nero decided to look to the right, and saw the shoreline end, and a large expanse of water. Looking to the left, however, gave him a different result. In the distance, he could spot a small city. It easily visible, due to the large silver building that stood above it.

'A city!' he thought in joy. 'A city means civilization. A civilization means people! And people means...'

The former knight paused, as his eyes fell onto his Devil Bringer. 'And people means people getting freaked out by my ugly arm.'

Sighing, he knew that the solution was simple. He merely had to wrap his arm around with the black athletic tape in his pocket, and then wear his red glove. He reached into his left pocket, and reached for his roll of tape.

The boy frowned he felt something that _was not_ his roll of black athletic tape.

Pulling his hand out, Nero saw that he held his red finger-less glove. The boy then patted down his entire body, hoping that he had simply misplaced it. Realizing that his clothes were partly wet, as well as the useless communicator malfunctioning due to water damage, he deduced that he had somehow landed into the sea when he was unconscious. Before he washed ashore, the black tape must have floated out of his pocket.

"So I have a glove, with no tape to go with it... Swell," he muttered.

Sighing, Nero then choose to do the next course of action. He put the red glove over his right hand, and then pulled down the right sleeve of his coat to cover his arm. He also rolled up the cuff at the end to cover his forehand. He looked at his arm with satisfaction. So long as he did not attract too much attention to himself, or display his right hand for all to see, he would be fine.

"Alright, Nero," he said to himself. "Let's go do some explorin'."

Nero began his trek down to the city, hoping that he could, at least, find a new sling and black athletic tape for a cheap price.

* * *

><p><strong>-Lightning's House-<strong>

An alarm clock rang across the empty house. A slender slapped the snooze button to turn it off.

Lightning sat up on her bed, stretching her arms over her head. She then got off of her bed, and walked out of her room.

When she had went to sleep the previous night, she had taken off most her gear, and her overcoat to go to sleep. The woman walked down the corridor, with her arms, shoulders, legs, and feet bare. She only wore her brown mini-skirt and her turtleneck shirt, which only covered the top part of her torso, and exposed her midriff and the navel piercing on it as well.

She walked down into her kitchen, which was very wide. In the middle was a large orange table, with triangular patterns on it, and four round chairs with red leather seats on it. To her right was a counter with a silver, round shelf above it, and a sink on the far end. The ceiling was round, with many windows which were transparent enough to let light in. On the other end of the kitchen was a plasma T.V., that was currently reporting the news.

"Serah?" she called out loud. She was met with silence. "So she left early, huh?"

Lightning looked around the room, before spotting something out of place. On the the table was a pot that was covered by a lid. On top of it was note with "Lightning" written on top of it. Curiously taking it, the woman looked at it, and read it.

_Dear Sis,_

_I left early today, so I made some stew in the pot you see before you._

_Heat it up, and eat it when you're hungry. Just make sure you don't burn the pan again like last time, okay?_

_-Serah-_

The Farron sister smiled at her little sister's note. "Alright then. I'll be careful."

Taking the pot in her hands, she took to the counter, followed the note's instructions. A few minutes later, she was already eating.

Lightning put the spoon in her mouth, savoring the flavor of her sister's dish.

'It's funny,' she thought to herself. 'Whenever Serah makes food, it tastes exactly as if Mom made it. But whenever I make something, I can never get it to be like your dishes, can I Mom?'

The girl closed her eyes, as she recalled those last days with her mother. Right before her illness took a turn for the worse.

* * *

><p><strong>-Bodhum Hospital - Six Years Prior-<strong>

_"There will be a lot of things you will need to do from now on. Not just cooking alone."_

_A younger Lightning, back when she went by her true name, sat on the side of her mother's death bed. The doctor had called them, and said that her if she had one more fit, she may not recover from it. Both Farron sisters had visited her, not knowing if it was the last time that they would. Her mother had sent Serah off, asking the younger sister to bring back some fruit. The young twelve-year-old complied, leaving Lightning alone with her mother. Hearing her words, she had realized why._

_The older woman, who had rose-colored hair like her daughters, warmly looked at her daughter with her pale aqua eyes. "But you know... You don't have to do everything by yourself, either. I'm sure there are a lot of things that Serah can help you with," she assured._

_"But, Mom..." she protested, but stopped, as the sick woman reached out with her hand, and stroked her hair softly, as if she were a small child again. She withheld the urge to cry._

_"'You cute, little, spoiled girl,'" her mother said. "Your father and I used to call you that all of the time, did you know that? Right before Serah was born."_

_Lightning's father died ten years prior. He was a soldier for the Sanctum, and was killed in action. _

_"I didn't know that..."_

_"You were only three at the time. When Serah came, you became the big sister, so we couldn't just call you little anymore," she laughed._

_Lightning remained silent. She could hear the pain that was hidden in the laugh._

_"After your father died, you were always around to give me a hand with things, weren't you?" she asked. "You were always there watching over Serah, too... You're such a good sister. That's why I'm not worried about Serah. Because I know you'll be there to take for her when she needs it."_

_"But at the same time... Serah will be there for you too," she continued. "She'll be able to help you when you're hurting, and give you strength when you need it."_

_She brought Lightning's head closer to her closer than she had ever been before._

_"Don't try to do everything on your own... My cute, little, spoiled girl..."_

* * *

><p><strong>-Present-<strong>

"Don't do everything on my own, huh?"

Lightning had been so lost in her thoughts, that she hadn't realized that she had already finished her meal, taken a shower, and changed into her uniform.

Sighing to herself, she thought about the last words her mother had given directly to her. "I guess I let her help me with cooking, seeing that all of my dishes almost always burns up. Serah's are always better for some reason."

But deep down, she knew that the reason why Serah's dishes were always better was because she had practiced by herself when Lightning was off working. The soldier frowned, as she wondered how much effort Serah had managed to do on her own these last few years.

Serah cooked on her own, and spent more time with people like her nowadays. She had finished high school, with straight A's no less. Next year, she was going to attend Eden University in the Capital City of Eden to pursue a degree in History. And... She had somehow found company in the form of Team NORA.

As Lightning exited her house, she frowned her teeth at the thought of the man from yesterday, Snow Villiers. She was not blind; judging by how Serah spoke fondly about him, and vice versa, she knew that there was something going on between the two. From first glance, she could already tell that he was not the kind of man that she wanted her sister to be with. She was not an unrealistic person; Lightning knew that Serah would probably have feelings for another person someday. The soldier was not overprotective to the point of chasing off any person interested in her younger sister. She would be fine with anyone, so long as they were capable of protecting Serah from harm.

Snow Villiers was not capable of that.

The man was brash, and ran off into danger blindly. He did not think things through, and only made decisions on instinct. If Serah and him were ever in any danger, he would be the type of man to save himself and leave Serah on her own.

He was not the right man for her, she knew. However, she was not going to tell her sister that. Knowing Serah, she would try to reason with her, until she convinced Lightning to give him a chance.

Then, Lightning wondered if her parents would have given their permission for Snow to see their daughter. Lightning knew that her father was a soldier, but he tended to be as easy-going and good-natured as Snow. Her mother would have probably allowed it if she believed that Serah really did have feelings for him.

After all, her mother had married her father, hadn't she?

It was up to her, then. She had to make sure that Snow got the message to stay away from her sister. And after a while, she would explain to her the situation. A Grade A student and an unemployed fool could not mix.

Snow would stay away from her sister. Whether he liked it or not.

* * *

><p><strong>-Shopping Mall-<strong>

"What... In... The... Hell...?"

Those words came out Nero's mouth, after a few seconds of seeing a group of young individuals riding air bikes.

And as far as he knew, there were _no such things_ as _air bikes_, or bikes that could _fly_.

He had found a road along the beach, that had lead to the city. As he approached, he saw that many civilians were giving him odd looks, to his displeasure. He figured that it was due to the fact that his clothes were different from his. He noticed that many of the civilians wore types of clothing that he was not familiar with. Some wore shirts, pants, shorts, or other basic attire. Some women also wore clothes that showed off their midriff and skin. What struck him odd, however, was that there were men who did this as well.

As he got deeper into the city, more people began to ignore him and go about their business. More people walked about, with them going into restaurants, houses, or other small buildings. He saw that some of the houses were stacked on top of each other, which he thought was odd. He even saw some signs that were written in an odd language he couldn't understand. Overall, the entire town gave off this seaside resort feel, which was odd considering its large size. He saw many pools of clear water, which were only meant for show, as well as many empty round tables with chairs around them.

Finally, he had arrived at some outdoor shopping mall. People mingled with each other, as they entered random shops. Some stores sold clothing, and were brightly colored on the inside. Others sold accessories, and displayed them in glass cases. He felt lost, as he found himself in this large, yet closed down space.

Oddly, he saw two girls looking about the area, looking just as lost as he was. One wore a blue sari with a back halter top underneath, had tan skin, and dark brown colored hair. The other one wore a light pink halter top, with multiple bracelets on her wrists, beads lined down her torso, and bright red colored hair that was tied into two pigtails.

Nero was walking in the middle of the cramped space, when he saw the air bikes that stopped his brain for a few seconds.

Nero regained his composure, but briefly debated with himself. Finally coming to a conclusion, he merely shook his head while laughing to himself. The young hunter reasoned that he was merely seeing things, due to being out in the sun for too long.

The devil hunter walked deeper into the shopping mall, when he saw another sight that left him in disbelief. A few feet away was a small shop, that was displaying monitors. However these were not regular monitors, like T.V. sets, or even plasma T.V.'s. There were no wires connected to them, either. These monitors were floating, while at the same time being slightly transparent.

The boy approached one of the screens, and examined it closely. He slowly reached for it, with his left hand and his jaw slacked in awe as his fingers went through the screen. It caused the image on the screen to become blurry.

A male voice behind him spoke out. "Hey, pal! I'm watchin' that!"

The boy took his hand out of the way, and continued onward silently. After the new development, he had come to the center of the mall, where a large fountain was. He found an empty bench that was near another, larger floating monitor. and sat down to collect his thoughts.

"Okay, Nero," he breathed. "Think this through. You're just imagining things. There's no way you could have seen a flying bike, or a holographic television screen. That type of tech doesn't exist yet. The only way you would've be able to see that is if..." The anxious devil hunter breathed heavily. "Is if you somehow ended up in the future... Which is impossible, right?"

Just as he finished that last thought, he heard the screen nearby, as a weather forecast was being reported.

"_Thanks for the report, Aoede. And now for today's forecast,_" reported a female weather analyst. "_Today's local forecast is gonna be sunny, sunny, sunny! So if any of you Bodhumites are worrying about bad weather for today, don't! We're seeing blue skies, and perfect temperature this weekend, just in time for the Annual Fireworks Festival next week! Worldwide, however, other cities aren't so lucky. We've got a couple of rain showers hitting Nautilus Park this weekend, so anyone travelling there may be out of luck. Euride Gorge will be slightly cloudy tomorrow, but there should be no problems for anyone planning to go this weekend. Both the Capital City of Eden and Palumpolum will be windy tomorrow, so anyone going out should be sure to hold their belongings tightly. This is Nia Ezra, with today's weather forecast, wishing you a safe day here in our wonderful world of Cocoon._"

Nero's eyes shot up, as soon as the report finished. "I hate it when I'm right."

Hearing the words "world of Cocoon" started the gears in his head. So he was right about not being in the future. However, after listening to that report list out the names of cities he had never even heard of, he came to an even worse conclusion: Nero was not in his world anymore. He was now in an alternate Earth, or another world entirely. The boy hated the theory, but it seemed plausible as he recalled that the word "Cocoon" was on that Rosetta Stone back in the Crystal Cave. He also realized that the words written on it were written in the exact same way as the signs around him. Unfortunately he had not bothered to memorize the text.

The young man leaned forward as he placed his hands in his face. "This is not happening... This _cannot_ be fucking happening..."

This was not how things were supposed to go. He was supposed to be back in Fortuna, while helping Dante and the others finish the mission. He was supposed to have finally eliminate _him,_ not be in another world far away. He did not even know how he was going to get back. Many thoughts troubled Nero at once, as he felt fury, embarrassment, and a sliver of despair. If he had only followed Dante's orders, he would never have found himself in the current situation.

The lost demon hybrid slumped back into the bench, as he let the reality of what had transpired sink in. His eyes looked on, as the water coming from the fountain flowed to the pool below. Nero's eyes lazily fell onto his right hand, which he noticed was still exposed.

Coming to a decision, Nero took a deep breath. "Baby steps, Nero," he encouraged himself. "First thing's first. You gotta get your arm covered up."

Looking around, he tried to see if he could find a medical store nearby. It was difficult, due to many of the signs being written in Cocoon Text. Fortunately, he noticed that there was a little shop a good distance to the right. There was a sign in front that he could not read, but judging by the Unicorn Mascot wearing a white doctor's coat, the store sold medical supplies.

"Baby step. But I'll take it," he muttered, as he got off of the bench and moved towards the store.

* * *

><p>Lightning walked along the fountain, as she examined the area. She usually walked around aimlessly before reporting for work, and today, she had found herself in the Shopping Mall. The soldier felt it was a good idea, since she was scheduled to patrol the area during the Fireworks Festival the next week. And since she was off-duty, she had a good amount of time to memorize the area.<p>

"Ah! If it isn't Sergeant Farron!" called a voice.

Turning towards the voice, she saw that the male soldier from yesterday was approaching her.

"Doing some shopping, Sergeant?" he inquired.

She shook her head. "No. I'm just running a preliminary security check. This is my assigned patrol area for the Fireworks Festival next week, so I thought it was good idea to be familiar with it."

The man nodded in understanding. "That makes sense. No offense, Sergeant, but you don't really look like the type of person that would go out shopping before reporting to duty."

His statement did not sit right with her. "Is that so? And just what kind of person do you think I am, soldier?"

The man only grinned, failing to notice the stern tone of her voice. "Well that's simple. You're our raid leader, Sergeant. And we're all proud to serve under you, ma'am."

The let out an amused sigh, before responding. "Then as your raid leader, soldier, I am ordering you to stop wasting time here chatting. Don't you have a post that you need to return to?"

"Yes, Sergeant! Right away!" he saluted, before hurrying off to his post.

The Sergeant waited for him to be out of sight, before returning to her walk. She moved near a jewel shop, while thinking about what the man had said. The woman felt that her fellow soldier was correct, but sometimes she would window shop when she walked around town on her own. However, she never bought anything that she did not feel she needed. In actuality, shopping was something she felt that Serah was more accustomed to, due to her age. In fact, the last time she was at the Shopping Mall, Serah had accompanied her. But that was a long while ago.

Her thoughts then went back to her nineteen year old sister, and how much they had drifted apart over the last few years. Serah would probably go out shopping with her friends in her free time, while Lightning was always working. She knew that the time she spent with her sister would become shorter when she joined the Guardian Corps. But a part of her hoped that she would eventually find time as she rose up the ranks. However, the plan backfired, and now she spent even less time with her sister, and more time working.

Serah was in middle school when she enlisted, and Lightning knew that adolescence was a very trying time in a person's life. To her regret, the younger Farron sister had to go through it alone. The girl had probably worried about high school drama, her relationships with others, and other personal problems. And when she wanted to ask her sister for advice, Lightning was nowhere to be found. Serah's inquiries were left unanswered by the empty void that the soldier left when she went off to her duties.

Lightning felt guilty about her absences. Serah probably hung out with NORA as a means to satisfy the emotional needs that she had failed to support her with. Serah had ran off to that show-off Snow, because Lightning had failed to be there for here.

Frowning, Lightning continued to wander aimlessly, as her mind played with scenarios that could rectify her problem. She needed to reconnect with Serah, but she did not know how.

Then, a loud voice interrupted her thoughts. "Would you like to buy a chocobo for your son there, ma'am? Here, have a look."

Blinking, Lightning looked to her left, and saw a wooden chocobo stand. All around it were small cages. Inside them were little chocobo chicks, which were small birds that had round bodies, round heads, little wings, and orange beaks and talons. The feathers covering them varied with color, as some had a red, blue, black, green, purple, silver, or gold color to it. Selling them was man wearing an apron, and a flamboyant chocobo cap.

The potential customers were a mother and her son. The mother was light-skinned, with light bluish-green eyes and shoulder-length platinum-colored hair. The woman wore a cotton, ivory wraparound sweater with off-shoulder sleeves, and beige capri pants on her legs, while brown leather wedge sandals were on her feet. She wore a simple necklace, with a brown braided lace, with a silver pendant hanging from it.

The son was as light-skinned as his mother, and had her platinum hair and bluish-green eyes. He wore a short-sleeve orange and yellow jacket over a black shirt. On his hands were a pair of black gloves with white palms on them. There as a yellow wristband tied around his left wrist, which was right before his left glove. He also wore deep green pants, with a black storage pack hanging from the black leather belt around his waist, while a pair of beige shoes. He wore a green neckerchief, with black detailed lines over his neck.

He seemed to be fourteen-years-old, which was not to far from when Lightning had lost her mother. She also noticed that the mother and son were as close as she and her sister used to be.

The salesman continued with his pitch, as he gently held a golden chocobo in his hand. "Well, ma'am? Look at this little chocobo! Ain't it the best?"

The chcocobo chick chirped at the woman happily, which made her giggle. "My, it is cute!"

The boy next to her frowned in slight embarrassment. "Mom, you actually like those things?"

"Of course!" she responded. "After all, you used to like them to. You'd always go 'Mommy, Mommy! Can you buy a chocobo for me? Please, please, please?' whenever we saw one!" she laughed.

"And when was the last time you saw that happen?" he deadpanned.

The woman rubbed her chin in thought. "It wasn't too long ago, actually... I think I saw you do that about ten years ago."

The boy groaned.

"Well, chocobos weren't as popular back then as they are now," the salesman told. "Nowadays, they're sold out in any place that sells 'em! We even have another shop at Euride getting a new shipment today, because they ran out yesterday! But just for you two, if you buy one now, I'll give you a discount."

The mother shook her head. "Thank you, but I'm afraid we can't. We're actually on vacation right now, so it wouldn't be a good idea."

It was when she heard the word "vacation" that the idea came to Lightning.

"Right... That's it... Me and Serah could go an a vacation," she whispered.

The plan was a favorable one. She could request for some time off, and spend it visiting places with Serah. That way, Lightning would be able to make up for some of the time that she had not spent with Serah. It would not make up _all_ of the time that was wasted, but would be enough to reconnect with her sister, and get Serah's mind off of Snow. Lightning's birthday was in the following week, so she would tell Serah of her plans then.

Lightning silently thanked the mother and son, as she watched them walk away from the stand.

She was about to report to base, but stopped when something else caught her eye. Walking towards a Unicorn Mart outlet was a man with platinum hair wearing a long blue coat. What caught her attention, though, was that the man had a large sword sheathed on his back. It was suspicious to her. Robberies had been reported before in the Shopping Mall, but most people usually hid their weapons. Letting the man go unsupervised was unwise, especially if the threat of an armed robbery was present.

Deciding to plan her vacation after work, Lightning made her way towards the small shop.

* * *

><p><strong>-Unicorn Mart-<strong>

A small chime entered his ears, before hearing the male clerk cheerfully greeting him with "Hi there! Welcome to Unicorn Mart!"

"Thanks," Nero greeted. "Listen, do you guys sell arm slings and athletic tape?"

The clerk typed into the monitor, which was actually a computer screen rooted to the counter, and smiled to him. "We actually do! Just go all the way down to the second-to-last aisle to your right. It's at the very end."

"Yeah, thanks."

"Glad to be of service!"

The young man walked away from the counter, unaware of the clerk nervously staring at the sword on his back. Nero made his way down to the second-to-last aisle.

He frowned. "Tch. Unicorn Mart..."

Walking all the way down to the end of the aisle, Nero's eyes scanned through the racks of items. He spotted what seemed to be bandage boxes, judging by the cover. Looking closely, he finally found a box with an arm sling picture on it.

When he grabbed the box, he heard the entrance chime go off again, which told him that someone else had entered the shop.

Scanning the racks, he finally spotted a box of black tape. The young devil hunter examined closely. He sighed in relief, when he saw that there as a picture of a person sticking the tape around his arm, which told him that it was an adhesive tape.

Glad that he had what he needed, held both items with his left, while sticking his right hand in his pocket to avoid attention. He made it out of the aisle, and visibly frowned. Three people were in the paying line, which meant he could not just leave right away. Groaning, he took his place at the end of the line.

Lightning stood near the doorway, arms crossed as she looked at the man. He had walked out of the aisle and got in line. The soldier examined his body language, and noticed that he was tense. She guessed that he was in a hurry, and wanted to leave as soon as possible. Or perhaps he was mentally preparing himself for his robbery.

Then his eyes meet hers. He looked away briefly, but then looked back with his blue yes. Lightning had a tendency to stare at others when she was focused enough on something, and the young man must have caught her doing that.

Nero's eyebrow arched as he examined her. She had pale aqua eyes that stared at him intently. Her hair, to his surprise, was rose-colored, which he thought was unnatural. He then amended himself, when he remembered that his own hair was the unnatural color of silver.

Nero then saw that the woman staring at him was wearing a uniform that was similar to one he had seen on the way to the mall. It belonged to two individuals who were arresting a man who was drunk in public. This told him that she was part of the local law enforcement.

Seeing this, his eyes narrowed to glare at hers. He did not know why she was watching him, but he was not going to lose the staring match.

Lightning's eyes matched his shortly. She was unfazed at his glare. Something about him unnerved her, and the way he glared at her annoyed him. He was silently challenging her with his glare, and she would return both the challenge and her glare.

They glared at each other for a good while, with neither taking their eyes off the other.

"Uh, sir? It's your turn."

Nero blinked, and looked in front of him. The other customers had already left, and there was nobody between him and the counter.

Nero looked back at the woman. His eyes widened slightly when he saw the satisfied look in her eyes. With a final snort in her direction, he then walked towards the counter.

"Just these two, please," Nero requested.

The clerk kindly took it, and ran the items through a scanner. After typing into the computer, he smiled at Nero. "Okay. That'll be 10 gil, please."

Nero nodded. "Sounds about right."

The young hunter then reached into a the pocket inside the left side of his coat. The clerk eyes then widened, when he saw the pistol that was in the holster on his hip. Nero pulled out a $20 bill, and placed it on the counter.

"Can I get the change back, please?" he requested.

The clerk looked at the bill, blinked twice, and then looked back at the customer. "Um, sir? What's this?"

"It's twenty bucks," he replied.

"Sir, this paper. It's not gil," the clerk explained, with a cheerful, yet wary tone.

"Of course it's paper. It's a dollar bill. And what the hell is gil?" was Nero's reply.

The clerk was obviously nervous at this point, as he took a gold coin from the cash register. "Sir, this is gil," he explained. "We only accept this here, sir."

And at that moment, Nero felt like slapping himself. He was in another world. Of course they had a different currency!

"Well, can't you make an exception? It's valuable," he inquired meekly.

"Afraid not sir. If you can't pay for this, I'm afraid I'm gonna have to ask you to return those items where you found them."

Nero frowned, with a frustrated groan escaping his mouth. This made the clerk even more nervous.

"Is there a problem here?"

Nero visibly gritted his teeth, when he heard a cool, female voice. Quickly glancing to his left, he saw that the woman was standing next to him with her arms crossed, and her eyes glaring at him.

Taking a deep breath, Nero tried to sound calm as he spoke. "No, officer. Why would there be a problem, officer? There's no problem here, officer."

His then looked back at the clerk. "Anyway, I'll just... Put these back now."

He then snatched both of the items with his left hand, and walked back to the aisle.

Lightning's eyes never left the back of the man's blue coat as he walked off.

"Um, you're with the Bodhum Security Regiment, right?"

The woman didn't look at the clerk as she nodded.

"Well, just so you know, that man had a gun hidden in his coat!" he whispered.

The female soldier's eyes narrowed further. Looking at the aisle the man went in, she silently made her way into the aisle next to it.

Meanwhile, Nero grounded his teeth as he approached the racks where he found the two items. Nothing was going his way that day it seemed. He was far away from home, he did not know where he was, and now his money was useless. And they were making a big deal out of tape and an arm sling. He growled at how stupid the whole thing was, and over something so insignificant. In fact, if he were to take the items and hide them in his coat, they would probably not even notice...

Nero looked to the left slowly, and then to the right. The woman had not followed him, and nobody was around. And after an incredibly bad start to his day, he wanted to regain a sense of control over his misfortune.

Reaching for the box with the black tape, he slowly tore the cardboard box. He winced several times when it made small tear sounds. After opening it to a significant length, Nero pulled out the black tape with his left hand, and shoving it into his left pocket. He then repeated the same thing with the arm sling, but placed inside his coat pocket. Nero then hid the ripped boxes behind a row of bandage boxes.

'Now I just gotta get out of here,' he thought to himself. The young man then turned to walk away.

"Going somewhere with that?"

Nero instantly froze, with his eyes widening as far as they could. Slowly turning to the right, he saw that the rose-haired officer was standing behind him, with a menacing look in her eyes.

It didn't take him long to figure out that she had _seen_ him _stealing_ the black tape and the arm sling.

"Hands behind your back!" she ordered, as she gripped a handle on a weapons case that Nero had barely noticed at that moment.

He slowly raised his left hand. "Okay... I know this looks bad. But there's a perfectly logical explanation for this."

"Is that right? Because the only explanation I see here is that you were _stealing_," she countered.

Nero chuckled anxiously. "Hehe, yeah... See, here's the thing-"

The man quickly grabbed a box of bandages, and threw it at the woman's fave, before darting down the aisle.

Lightning swatted the box to the side, and quickly gave chase.

"This is Sergeant Farron to all units! Be on the lookout for a male with silver hair wearing a long blue trench coat! I am currently in pursuit! Repeat, in pursuit!" she reported to her earpiece.

**-Shopping Mall-**

"Shit! Shit! Shit! Shit! Shit!" Nero hisses as he ran out of the Unicorn Mart.

He had made a rookie mistake. Nero had somehow convinced himself to shoplift, which was something he knew was extremely foolish. However, due to the his anger, he went through with. And now, he had done the exact opposite of what he wanted to do, which was attract attention.

And judging by the heavy footsteps behind him, the woman was already on his tail.

Out of nowhere, a man with similar attire had gotten in his path. He held his hand forward, while reaching for his pistol with the other.

"Stop! Bodhum Security RegimAAAA-"

Nero did not let the officer finish, as he slammed against him with his shoulder. The officer stumbled backwards, and fell down to the fountain's pool. The former knight only sprinted towards the nearby street.

The male soldier spotted Lightning running after him, "Hurry, Sergeant! He's getting away!"

"No he's not," she hissed to herself.

* * *

><p><strong>-Alleyway-<strong>

"Did you break it Fang?" Vanille asked.

Fang shrugged. "I guess so. Probably did."

Both girls had somehow ended up eating with two boys from some "You-Knee-Verse-City." They had tried their best to act like someone from Cocoon, and made some considerable mistakes, such as Fang covering the food that was served to her with a lot of salt. However, when the men had called their people "barbarians," Fang had quietly led them to the alleyway, where she swiftly knocked them unconscious.

After that, Fang looked through their pockets for items, only for her to find a metal card with a black circle in the middle. Vanille had pressed it, and, to their shock, it activated itself. They showed the image and information of one of the men, which was the card's owner. Shortly after, however, a silver owl had flown around them only to fly away. They then looked other man's card, and pressed the button on it as well. However, it caused the card the glow brightly, before subsiding.

Fang pressed the button again, but this time the card activated, and all of the metal became transparent.

"Oh good!" Vanille said with relief. "I guess we didn't break it after all!"

However, when the holographic imaged revealed itself, there was no image of a head, or information.

"Or perhaps it's broken after all?" Vanille wondered. "Do you think that we can use it now?"

Fang shrugged. "Maybe. But even if we could, what would we do with it?"

"I don't know," she replied honestly.

After a few seconds of thinking, Fang nodded to herself. "Let's take 'em."

Vanille sighed. "We might as well."

Fang grabbed the other card, and handed it to her friend. After they put both cards away, they froze. The sound of footsteps came to their ears.

"Fang, we need to hide!" Vanille cried in panic.

With a determined look, Fang looked around the alley, and found a potential hiding space behind a large trash bin.

"There! Behind that thing!" she ordered.

Both women then hid behind the bin, as they watched who approached around its corner.

From the other side of the alleyway came a man with silver hair, and a blue coat. He was running hurriedly down the path, when he noticed the two unconscious men before him.

"Wha- What the hell?" he muttered.

"FREEZE!"

Another person, a girl in a uniform with pink hair, had appeared from the other end. The man turned around, and took a step backward.

The woman then saw the two men on the ground. "What happened here?!" she demanded.

The man waved his hands in the air. "Look, I know I'm in trouble and all, but believe me. I don't know what happened to these guys! I DIDN'T DO THIS!"

The woman then pointed her gun at the man. "I said FREEZE!"

Both women saw the man grit his teeth. "Grrr, DAMMIT!"

The man then ran down the alleyway, while the woman followed after him. She fired her gun at him, but the bullets passed the man by.

After they were out of their view, Fang and Vanille quickly left their hiding spot, and ran the other way.

* * *

><p>Nero sprinted down the closed space, keeping his eyes focused forward as he did so. While turning around a corner, however, he briefly glanced at his right arm. Back when he had spotted the two unconscious men, his Devil Bringer went off. This told him that something unnatural was nearby.<p>

'What could've set it off?' he wondered.

He shook his head, and focused on evading capture. He came to a skidding halt, however, when he saw that a large grated fence blocking the path.

"Come on, not now..." he hissed, as he his eyes darted around in search of an opening.

"Hold it right there!"

Nero grimaced in irritation, as the woman's voice had finally caught up to him.

Lightning aimed her gunblade at the thief's back, eyeing him carefully. She approached slowly, steadying her aim on him in case the man decided to attack.

The young thief looked left, right, and finally up. He saw that the fence was not high enough for him to scale over. However, he would have to jump over it. And he would have to jump like the superhuman he was; he would need to make another rookie mistake. Thinking to himself in seconds, he made his decision.

If he wanted to evade capture, he would have to cheat.

"Give up," she advised harshly. "There's nowhere left for you to run."

'That's what you think, girly,' he mentally dismissed, and ran towards the fence.

The soldier gritted her teeth, and gave chase. She sprinted towards him, and would grab him as he tried climbing to the fence.

However, what happened next seemed impossible to her, even if she saw it first hand. The thief crouched down, and seemingly soared into the air. He flipped forward, and the tip of his feet slid along the fence. Using the slight friction between his feet and the fence, the man then pushed his feet against the fence, and jump upwards. Lightning's eyes widened in surprise, as the man landed on the other side of the fence.

Lightning was caught off guard by the thief's action, as it bordered on the edge of superhuman. Surprised, but not impressed.

Nero got to his feet, while dusting off his right shoulder with his left hand. Turning around, he smirked triumphantly at the girl. But the smirk feel when he saw what she was doing.

The girl snapped the fingers of her right hand, and was then enveloped in a purple glow. She then crouched down, pushing herself off of the ground. To his disbelief, though, the officer soared into the air. His jaw slacked, as she made it to the top of the fence with ease.

"C'mon, give me a break!" he whined, as he darted out of the alleyway.

Lightning snapped her right fingers again, and landed down to the ground on the other side of the fence. As soon as she spotted the thief, she was on his heels.

Nero ran out into the street, and hissed when he saw that there were a lot of civilians out and about. Pushing past people that were in his way, the devil hunter tried to find a place where he could hide. His blue eyes then landed on where a lot of people were going. As he got closer, he realized that it was a train station, as he spotted trains inside.

Looking over his shoulder, he saw his chaser pushing against people while trying to catch. In that moment, Nero chose to enact his next plan of action inside the station.

He was going to blend into the crowd.

* * *

><p><strong>-Bodhum Station-<strong>

Lightning hastily ran into the station. As she made her way there, many civilians had gotten in her way, which made her lose sight of the thief.

As she ran down to the platforms, she could hear the speakers make announcements overhead. '_Train shuttle to Euride Gorge will be departing in five minutes._'

She walked in the center of the platform, and many passengers walked all around her. The soldier's eyes furrowed with focus, as she tried to find him. Compared to most of the citizens of Bodhum, this thief stuck out like a sore thumb. It would be very easy to hide in plain sight, which meant that he probably wasn't.

Then, she got a break.

A female voice talked through her earpiece. "_Attention all units near Bodhum Station. Systems reporting that security has been breached near the Euride Gorge platform. Any units within the vicinity are ordered to report._"

Lightning reached for her earpiece. "This is Sergeant Farron, over. I am currently in Bodhum Station. Investigating the breach now."

"_Copy that._"

Heading for the platform, she could hear the intercom report another announcement. "_Train shuttle to Euride Gorge will be departing in two minutes._"

The female soldier scanned the area. The platform was relatively empty, save for some passengers getting their belongings, while mostly everyone else already boarded the train.

She was walking past one of the doors, when she paused. Looking over her shoulder, she spotted a red handle, that belonged to a sheathed blade. The blade was sheathed to the back of a person, with a red hood, that was inside a train car and sitting next to the door.

The person was wearing a blue coat.

The soldier noticed that the individual had not noticed her, which meant that the element of surprise was hers.

She reached for her earpiece, and spoke. "Target spotted. Apprehending now."

* * *

><p>Nero sat on the seat of the train. He figured that if he waited on the train long enough, the soldier would eventually give up. As he sat, he actually thought about riding the train, and seeing where it went.<p>

His thoughts were interrupted, when someone pulled his hood off of his head. He looked up, only to instantly regret it.

The soldier gave him a harsh, unforgiving glare. "Next time you want to hide, try not to wear a sword that sticks out."

Nero grimaced. He had forgotten that his sword was on his back; he had made another rookie mistake.

Sighing, Nero gave her a sheepish glance. "I don't suppose you could still let me off with a warning?"

"After all the trouble you put me and a few other officers through? Not happening. Points for trying, though."

The former knight frowned. "Of course."

The officer then grabbed his left arm and pulled to his feet, which garnered the attention of all the nearby passengers. "Now turn around. You're under arrest."

Before the thief could respond, however, the door next to them started closing. Reacting quickly, Nero pushed the officer to the ground. Jumping forward, he rolled out of train car right as the door closed.

The man quickly got up, and saw the officer had rushed to the door's window as soon as she got to her feet. He smirked, as she banged her fist on it furiously.

His smirk fell, unfortunately, when he noticed that she placed her finger on her ear, and spoke.

'She's calling for reinforcements,' he realized. Tensing visibly, Nero then ran down the platform, hoping to get a head start on his chasers.

* * *

><p>Lightning struck the window one more time, as the train to Euride moved off of the platform slowly. Taking deep breaths, she sat down on the seat that the thief had sat on. Her stomach churned as the train became faster.<p>

She gritted her teeth in annoyance. She had called for reinforcements to apprehend the thief, but deep down in her mind, she knew that they would not catch him.

Lightning grew angry with herself, because she knew that she was going to be late for work; she prided herself with arriving to base on time. The soldier would have to work overtime, which meant more time away from her sister.

But what infuriated her most was that her pride had taken a devastating blow.

The man had both outsmart _and_ outran her. _No one_ ever outran her, and her speed was something she felt proud off. But this thief was just as fast as her, even with all of the gear he wore.

As soon as she got back, she would make sure that he was caught. Lightning would be the one to bring him to justice.

* * *

><p><strong>-Secluded Shore-<strong>

The devil hunter looked around the corner, and breathed in relief when he saw no soldiers. He then walked down the steps, and onto the beach. He saw a tree that offered shade, and went over there to sit down. As he sat cross legged, Nero reached for his pockets, and removed the sling and tape that he had stolen.

He went to work, and rolled up his right sleeve, and removed the red glove on his hand. He then took the tape, and pulled out the strap. He then stuck it to his right bicep, and began wrapping it around the length of his arm. When he did so, he then wrapped the tape around his thumb and fingers.

The young hunter padded the cast to test its hardness, before putting his red finger-less glove back on his right hand. He then took out the white sling, and put it on his right hand. Nero then got the lace, and placed it on his shoulder. He was satisfied, as he now looked like a man with an injured arm.

His lips dipped into a frowned as he thought of all of the effort he put to get the items for this disguise. Law enforcement was on the lookout for him, which caused him to hid in his current position. He had planned to keep a low profile, and he failed that objective. Not only that, he seemed to have made an enemy out of that female officer, judging by how furiously she pounded on the door of the train car.

Nero decided to wait for the heat to go down. He noticed that the tower that he had woken up under was not for from his current position. He would wait until sunset to head back, so that he would not be blinded by the cover of night.

Taking a deep breath, he sat there patiently, waiting for the sun to go down.

* * *

><p><em>"Hey, Kyrie."<em>

_The sun had gone down, and the couple had decided to return home. Nero was rolling the blanket up, while the empty basket was on the sand next to him. The former Songstress looked down at her lifelong friend when he spoke._

_"Remember what you asked me earlier? About me, and my dreams?" he inquired._

_The girl's face softened. "Yes. But, you don't have to say anything. It was a ridiculous question."_

_"It's not ridiculous," he asserted. "And yeah, I don't have to answer, but I want to. Because just I thought of an answer."_

_Kyrie looked at him carely, as he stood up from the ground, and walked to her. She noticed that when he turned to look at her, he had a sincere look in his eyes. She also saw that he was blushing slightly._

_"Look," he started. "I don't... I'm not really experienced with this kind of talk, okay? So I'll try to avoid saying anything cheesy. But see, I really don't have any big aspirations that I want to achieve. It kinda happens when the only thing you're good for is fighting."_

_His hands then gripped her shoulders, which gave him her full attention. "But I do have a dream. I dream about living out the rest of my life peacefully with my family: you. As long as I know you're here, I don't need anything else. I will always be at your side, and be there for you... To have you with me is my only dream, okay...?"_

_The girl's face softened in disbelief, as the sincerity of his words sank in. When they did, she smiled at him with teary eyes._

_"Nero... Thank you."_

_Nero returned the smile, as he pulled her into a hug. "Listen to me Kyrie. I will always protect you. Don't you ever forget that. Alright?"_

_In a time of despair, he would give her hope._

* * *

><p><strong>-Present-<strong>

Nero's eyes slowly opened.

The boy had fallen asleep, and he was relieved to know that they had not found him. Looking up, he noticed that the color of the sky was pearlish-pink, which meant that it was the afternoon.

It looked exactly the same as the one that day three years ago, when he had spent the day with his beloved.

Frowning sadly, Nero stood up from his spot, deciding that it was time to head for the island he had awoken in. The boy had only taken a few steps, before stopping.

Looking to the distance, Nero reached for underneath the collar of his black undershirt, and pulled out the golden Angel Pendant around his neck.

Holding the trinket in his hand, his eyes closed in melancholy, as the pendant made him recall joyous, yet painful memories.

'What do you call a dream that never comes true?'

The former knight put the Angel Pendant away, and starting off towards his destination.

'Simple. A regret.'

* * *

><p><span>Ch. 4: The Stone in Stagnant Waters<span>

Nero meets a young girl, after saving her from peril. As he struggles to discover where he is in the new world, events unfold elsewhere that forces others into the chain of fate. The game is about to change. Will Nero adapt, or perish?

* * *

><p><strong>AN: The next few chapters have yet to be updated. The following chapters skip ahead a few days, and Nero has already met Lightning's younger sister, Serah and her boyfriend Snow.<strong>

**Stay tuned for more Revision Updates.**

**Until then, READ & REVIEW!**


	5. Of Fireworks and Purges

**DMC and FFXIII are owned by Capcom and Square Enix respectively. Story has been slightly altered for your amusement.**

Bodhum- Of Fireworks and Purges

-Day 11-

-The Seaside City of Bodhum-

Nero was leaving the library, glad that he had done everything he needed to do. The last three days were the dullest days of his life. He figured that since he was going to be there for a while, he needed to learn a thing or two about the world. He found out some valuable information, but at the cost of his free time.

He learned that the planet, was indeed, called Cocoon. The reason there was a huge hole on its shell was because of the other planet below, which is called Pulse. Long ago, the two planets were at war with each other. Cocoon won, but the shell was damaged severely, so that area is uninhabitable. That was the only thing from Pulse that the library had. Everything else was about the government, animals, and other useless information.

Nero hated the library. There were a bunch of little kids running around, and most of them didn't follow the "no talking" rule. However, the real reason was that he had already been to the library many times back when he was starting out in the Order. He did not like it then, and neither did he like it now.

He was heading to the hotel he was staying in, when a bunch of people were running past him. He saw a little girl dragging her mother by her hand. He heard her say, "Hurry mommy, or we'll miss the fireworks," as they passed him.

'Fireworks, huh? I haven't done anything the last three days. Who knows? It might actually be fun,' he thought.

Even while following the path, he had a good view of the fireworks. He saw that most of the people were content with the view. He looked around and saw what looked like a father and son viewing the spectacle together. He saw the son was enjoying the scene, while the father wasn't. However, it must have been something else that was on his mind. Strangely, they both had afros.

Nero assumed that there was a better view up close, so he kept following the path. Eventually he got to the plaza that they were held in. He looked up, and was simply amazed. The fireworks were of different colors and sizes. What made these fireworks stand out was that they weren't just blasts and sparks shaped like suns and flowers. They were actual pictures of blasts, flowers, and suns. Even he had to admit it; these fireworks put the ones in New Fortuna to shame.

He was staring at the spectacle when he accidentally bumped into someone. He quickly turned to see a girl with red hair and pigtails. He quickly extended his hand to her. "Sorry about that. You alright?" he asked.

She extended her hand and lifted herself up. "Thank you, its fine. You must have been looking at the fireworks and didn't notice me," she explained.

"Yeah, that was my fault. Sorry about that," he said. He was walking away when he turned around and exclaimed, "Hope you enjoy the fireworks!"

As she saw him walking away, Vanille couldn't help but wonder, 'There's something very... familiar about that man.' She simply shrugged it off and continued to watch the fireworks.

Nero got closer to the show and stood there. The lightshow brought back memories. Those memories were both the best and worst memories of his life. He would have remembered them, when he heard a nearby conversation. His eyes turned to a pair of people. They were a mother and her son.

The mom looked at her son. "Not making a wish, Hope?" she asked.

The boy, Hope, answered playfully, "You still believe in that kind of kid stuff? Wishing on fireworks, really mom?"

She then hugged him playfully. "Who are you calling a kid?" she asked jokingly.

That topic sparked Nero's interest. 'Wish granting fireworks? Now I know New Fortuna's fireworks suck.'

He turned around and saw that a bunch of people were wishing. Adults, teens, and children alike. That was when he spotted a familiar face. The boyfriend from the other day, the man called Snow.

He seemed to be looking for his girlfriend. He was talking to a lady when he began to walk towards that one spot where the girl almost ended it with him. Nero didn't know why, but he wanted to know what was up.

He began walking towards the spot and thought to himself. 'Why do I care about what happens to these two? Is it because I want to see them fail? Do I want to see them end up like me?'

He stopped right at the ledge and looked at the fireworks. 'The view was better over there,' he thought.

His thoughts were disrupted when he heard Snow scream, "She said yes!" He turned and saw that Snow was rising from his knees, jumping in the air like the happiest man in the world. The face of a man who proposed and was told yes.

He smiled sadly and began to walk away. "Have fun trying to live forever," he muttered to himself.

He made it back to the plaza and decided that he needed a drink. However, seeing that he didn't know this place, he chose to ask for directions. He turned to the closest person there.

"Excuse me, can I ask you a question?" he began. He stopped when he realized who it was, the girl from the super market. She gave him a blank look. He mentally sighed in relief. She didn't recognize him, so he didn't need to worry about her getting mad at him.

"What is it?" she asked.

Nero remembered why he got her attention. "You wouldn't happen to know where to find a bar around here, would you?" he asked.

She pointed to a cabana surrounded and filled with people. Nero nodded and thanked her.

He entered the cabana and almost bumped into two girls. After he apologized, he overheard them saying, "Do you know him?"

"No, but I want to!" He smirked as he heard those comments.

He found a seat by a counter. It was good because it had a nice view of the fireworks. He turned to see a female bartender there ready to attend him.

"What can I get you?" she asked. He thought about what he would like, but he doubted they would have any Earth drinks. He turned to his right and saw a woman in a blue Sari drinking something.

"I'll have what she has," he said pointing to the woman.

The drink came in less than 45 seconds, and he took a quick sip. It tasted like tomato juice with a bit of alcohol in it. He turned around to stare at the fireworks. As he watched them, he remembered that these fireworks "supposedly" granted wishes.

"I wonder if it's true," he muttered. He decided to try it, but he knew it wouldn't work. "I wish," he began, "I wish she was alive and here with me right now," he wished.

He sat there and waited for five minutes. A sad sigh came from his mouth. "Should've known."

He knew it wouldn't work. However, a part of him wished that it did. As he watched the millions of bright colors burst in the dome, he saw two people driving in a hover bike getting out of there. He saw the couple that he knew as Snow and Serah kissing each other as they were flying away. Nero once again felt sadness watching them.

He slowly raised his glass. "Here's to you, Kyrie," he toasted.

He sat there and watched the fireworks until they ended. Then, he walked back to his apartment, where he quickly fell asleep.

-Day 13-

-The Seaside City of Bodhum-

Nero woke up with the biggest headache. He had a little too much clamato last night, or so he thought. When he looked at the room's clock, he found out he had slept for a whole day! He quickly got his gear, and headed to the diner on the ground floor.

He greeted the plump lady running the diner. "Good morning. What'll it be today?" she kindly asked.

He knew exactly what he wanted. "I'll have some scrambled eggs with some juice, please," he kindly replied.

A few minutes passed and he received his breakfast. "Fresh from the chocobo farm." He didn't know what a chocobo was, but scrambled eggs were scrambled eggs.

As soon as he finished, every T.V. in the diner held the same broadcast immediately.

"We interrupt this program to bring an urgent Sanctum bulletin... Late last night, officials confirmed the presence... Of a Pulse fal'Cie inside the city of Bodhum. Acting with fal'Cie Eden's approval, authorities declared a state of emergency. The entire city will be quarantined in response to this crisis. This is a Sanctum bulletin."

The next thing he knew, everyone in the diner was in a state of panic. The lady behind the counter was screaming, "Everyone get out! Run for your lives!"

Nero was extremely confused as to what was going on. The lady came up to him and began pushing him out of the diner.

"Wait, what's going on? Why's everyone freaking out?" he asked.

When he was outside, the lady told him, "Here's some advice, kid. Just run and don't look back!"

She slammed the door in his face, and he just stood there. 'Well that was fuckin' weird,' he thought to himself.

However, when he turned around, he saw an unpleasant sight. Everyone was running around in different directions. At first he didn't know why, but he got his answer when he heard sounds of gunshots.

He turned and saw that soldiers in advanced-looking armor were chasing a mother and her little girl. The mother tripped and as she turned, the soldiers were aiming their guns at her. Nero could not believe the sight. Soldiers were about to kill an innocent bystander. Not only her, but the little girl as well.

Needless to say, this pissed Nero off.

The soldiers were about to fire, when another gunshot was heard. Then, everything went black.

The little girl looked to see her mother all right and each of the soldiers on the ground. Standing above them was a man in a blue coat with a gun on his left hand.

"Get her outta here," the man said.

The women quickly got up and grabbed her daughter. "Thank you," she exclaimed as she ran. Nero nodded and ran the other direction.

He was in a plaza where there was a huge view of what looked like a tower. He stared at the tower in awe, but was startled when he heard a loud screeching noise. The noise made his ears almost bleed. He covered his ears, but it would still not work. When he looked up, he saw the sight of the couple he couldn't avoid. Snow and Serah.

They were running from those same soldiers that were capturing everyone. They would have gotten away, if only more soldiers hadn't cut them off. They surrounded the lovers like a circle. Nero knew that if he didn't intervene, they would either get taken, or killed.

He suddenly heard a voice behind him. "Put down your weapons, and put your hands behind your head!"

Nero didn't look back, because he knew a soldier was behind him. But he only heard one gun cock. There was only one soldier there. And Nero ultimately had the advantage.

He slowly raised his hands, but quickly round kicked his legs, leaving him in the air. The next thing the soldier knew he was soaring through the air, because Nero quickly grabbed him and threw him toward the circle of soldiers. Three of the soldiers were knocked down by the flying soldier. Everyone's attention turned towards the direction of the flying soldier. One of them was not so lucky; as he turned, his face met Nero's foot. The soldier flew into two other soldiers, opening a path for Snow and Serah.

Nero had his back to them, but he was able to get one message to them. "Go! Get outta here, NOW!"

Snow immediately got the message and pulled Serah towards a nearby vehicle. Nero watched them as they flew away in the vehicle. When they were gone, he turned to the soldiers that surrounded him; but he wasn't scared. He reached for his back and took out the Red Queen. He stabbed it into the ground and revved it once. The soldiers took a few steps back. He revved it again. The soldiers aimed their weapons at him. He revved it for the last time. The blade turned red as fire; the heating mechanism beginning to melt the concrete.

The soldiers cocked their guns, while screaming, "Drop your weapon NOW!"

Nero smirked. They didn't know it, but underneath his red and black glove, his Devil Bringer was glowing bright blue. He was charging his demonic energy as well.

Before the soldiers could fire or think, Nero swung his right arm in an arc. What shocked the soldiers most was that a huge torrent of blue energy followed the arm, mimicking the swing. They were all in the air. Nero took the opportunity and swiped his sword. Almost every soldier was slashed with the burning Red Queen killing most of them instantly. Most of them.

One managed to hit the ground before the sword got him. He was reaching for a rifle, before the former knight grabbed him by the neck and tossed him to a wall. He got up and opened his eyes to the sight of Nero pointing the rifle to his chest.

"Please," the man pleaded, "Don't kill me!" Nero was about to shoot, but stopped when a thought came to him. He needed answers.

"Answer some questions and you live, got it?" The soldier nodded.

"What the hell is going on?" he asked.

"The city's being Purged. People are going to be sent to Pulse. Our orders are to make sure everyone goes to the train stations where they will be lead to a Purge station to be sent to Pulse," the man explained.

"Then why the hell are you shooting innocent people?" he exclaimed.

"O- Our orders are to make sure everyone is sent to the station. Those who resist are to be eliminate-"

He was cut off by Nero. "You think that fucking justifies killing innocent people? I should seriously kill you for that!"

The soldier pleaded, "No, No! Please! PLEASE!"

Nero calmed himself a bit, before asking his final question. "Where's the train station?"

The soldier quickly answered, "Head straight down this road and you'll get there."

"Thanks pal," he said. He cocked the rifle.

"Wait! You said you wouldn't kill me!" the soldier pleaded.

Nero smiled. "Yeah, you're right." He turned the rifle around and hit the soldier with the butt of the rifle. "I never said I wasn't going to knock you out. You shot at me after all," he exclaimed.

A sound of falling debris caught his attention. He turned around and saw the same ship that Snow took crash into the beach. Nero stood there, staring at the sight in silence. Then, he began walking towards the station, ready to take on the enemy if needed. However, he was unaware of the man Snow getting up from the crash.

He looked up at the structure that had his wife-to-be captive. "Serah..."

Ch. 5: Fighting Back

As Nero heads for the train station, he is intercepted by a squadron led by Gaylor Leunam, official of the PSICOM faction. In his captivity, he is properly introduced to two fellow deportees, a woman named Lightning and a man named Sazh Katzroy. The three form an alliance, as they seek to escape captivity. But will they be caught up in the battle that has taken place?


	6. Fighting Back

**Capcom and Square Enix own DMC and FFXIII respectively. AN: THNX for the reviews!**

Bodhum Station- Fighting Back

-Bodhum Station-

It took him most of the day, but Nero finally made it to the station. There were a lot of people waiting in lines, sitting on the ground, or reclining on a wall. However, they all had the same expressions on their faces: fear.

He had only taken a few steps when a crowd of soldiers surrounded him, with their guns cocked and ready to fire. Nero could have taken them all out, but there were civilians in the area. They would have been killed in the crossfire.

"Stand your ground, men." Nero looked up to see the soldiers opening up to reveal two incoming figures. It was a soldier and what looked like a military official. He had blond hair that was pulled back, and blue eyes. The other soldier had a cracked visor. 'Wait a sec... That's-'

"This is the man you told us about, soldier?" the official asked.

"Yes, sir. I recognize him perfectly," answered the soldier.

"I let you live, and you just go and snitch on me? Ain't that a bunch of bullshit!" remarked the captive Nero.

The soldier walked up to Nero and hit him with the butt of his rifle. "Shut up! There will be no back talking!" the soldier ordered.

Nero just smirked. "You just wrote your death sentence, pal."

The soldier was about to hit him again, when the official stopped him. "That is enough, Sergeant. I will deal with him."

He walked up to Nero. "You are an interesting character, aren't you? According to the Sergeant, you were able to defeat an entire PSICOM squadron single-handedly. That's quite a feat," he praised.

"PSICOM?" he asked. "That's what these grunts are called? You need to train them better. If a guy like me can beat 'em, then you guys must seriously get your asses handed to you daily, huh?" he mocked. The insult earned him a slap to his face.

"You will make no such remarks to a higher authority, boy," he remarked, "Unless you want to die before getting to Pulse."

Nero licked the blood off of his mouth. "Sorry, I've got problems with authority. Especially against jackasses like you, mister."

The man scoffed. "My name is not "Mister." I am Lieutenant Gaylor Leunam, one of PSICOM's dire-"

He was cut off by the sound of Nero laughing hysterically."Your name's Gaylord? Tell me something, how's the missus? Or is it mister in your case?" he mocked.

He was laughing so hard, he even got some of the soldiers to chuckle as well. Leunam's face was bright pink. He decided he had enough and kicked Nero in the gut. He had trouble getting some air back into his lungs.

The man recomposed himself. "As I said before, I am Gaylor Leunam. I am one of the directors of the Public Security and Intelligence Command. PSICOM, for short."

As Nero looked up, he saw that the soldiers had taken Red Queen and Blue Rose and handed them to Leunam. He was inspecting them. "Hey! Give those back!" he screamed. He tried getting up, but the soldiers held him down. They were also able to cuff him.

"I'll keep this to remember you by. I'll be there when you get sent to Pulse. I'd wish for a safe journey, but we all know you won't even get there." He began laughing as he walked away. He had short snorts every few seconds.

'It's official. This guy's a total dork,' Nero thought.

The soldiers had let go of him and left, so he could move freely. He could leave if he wanted to, but he needed to get his weapons back. He couldn't bear the thought of having a dork hold onto them. The only option was to get on the train, and hope that Leunam was in it as well.

Nero began to assess the situation. 'I have no idea where they're taking me. I don't know how these trains work, either. I need a plan and fast.'

He was lost in his thoughts when he saw a pink blur pass him. He looked up and saw that the pink haired girl from the super market was walking up to a PSICOM grunt. He overheard their conversation.

The soldier was confused. "What's a GC doing here? This operation is under PSICOM direction," he stated.

The woman answered simply. "Then direct me. I want to be Purged."

The soldier was even more confused. He looked left and right. Finally, he whispered to her. "Only the civilians are getting Purged, Sanctum soldiers are exempt."

Her expression was the same. She handed him a sword from her case. "Then I quit."

The soldier just gave up. If she wanted to get Purged, who was he to stop her? "Get in line then!"

Nero was surprised. She had the opportunity to get out of this situation, and turned it down. 'This girl's got balls,' he silently praised. He stiffened up when he saw that she got in line right behind him.

Another guy, a dark skinned man with an afro, got right behind her. "Excuse me." No answer. "Hey." Again, silence. "Lady! What gives? What's a Guardian Corps soldier doin' getting Purged?" he asked.

She finally regarded him. "I volunteered," she answered. He gave a doubting look.

"Really? Well, you don't look like you're ready to go quietly into that good night," he stated.

She looked at him over her shoulder. "If you want quiet, you had better take the next train," she warned.

The man raised an eyebrow in amusement. He chuckled. "Now this, I gotta see," he muttered to himself.

Nero now pondered to himself after hearing that. 'I don't usually work well with others. But the only way I can get out of this situation without hurting someone, is with help. So I guess this is the best option,' he thought.

He slightly turned his head to see her. "Hey." No answer. He whispered louder. "Hey." Still nothing. Finally he spoke loud enough. "HEY!"

She looked up in annoyance. "What?" she asked angrily.

He turned his head left and right to see if any soldier was looking. "So I hear you're gonna do something during the train ride," he stated.

"Maybe I am. What of it?" she asked in suspicion.

Nero looked again, and went right to the chase. "I want in."

He got a quick answer. "No."

He turned around to address her. "Listen, I can help. You're going to need me if you're gonna pull this off," he reasoned.

"Sorry, but I don't need a worthless drunk, who tries to pass off paper as money. You'd just get in the way," she replied.

'Shit,' Nero thought. 'She does recognize me.'

"Ok. You got me there. But think about it for a second. You're going against a bunch of grunts, with no weapons, and no allies. You're kinda screwed there, girly."

The afro man turned to her. "He's got a point."

She shrugged it off. "I know where my weapon is being held. I'm going to get it back."

"Yeah, but how're you going to get there? You're going to be cuffed up to us and you'll be unable to go anywhere." he reasoned.

"There's a restricted area right before the drop off point. The man in charge of this operation, Gaylor Leunam, will pass by our car with the control in his pocket, around that time. The train will shake and that's when I'll strike," she explained.

Hearing Leunam's name gave Nero an idea. "You're a soldier right? A female too. That dork Leunam will want to know who it is. He has my weapons too. If I can get his attention long enough until we reach the restricted zone, you and I can get our weapons, and get outta here with everyone."

The former soldier narrowed her eyes in thought. She had to admit, he had a point. Nero waited patiently. She gave a heavy sigh and looked at him. "Fine, you're in."

Nero smirked. "You won't regret it. Don't worry. Everything will go according to plan, girly."

She gave him an angry look. "Don't call me "girly." It's not a name."

He raised an eyebrow. "Then what do I call you, lady?"

She walked ahead of him before turning her head to face him. "Lightning."

-The Hanging Edge-

"BORED."

Nero was sitting in a car filled with captive passengers. To his right was the former soldier, Lightning. To her right was the afro man who introduced himself as Sazh Katzroy. They were all forced to wear some kind of ceremonial garbs. Nero was having trouble sitting still. Who wouldn't be bored by sitting in the same spot for more than six hours?

"So bored!" he moaned.

An elbow shot to the ribs from Lightning was able to shut him up. "Be quiet!" she ordered.

"What? I've been waiting since we got here, and we're still not at the restricted area! The least they could do is put on some Looney Tunes!" he exclaimed.

They both gave him confused looks. "What's Looney Tunes?" Sazh asked.

Nero brushed him off. "Never mind, forget it."

The door then slid open. Out of the door came Lt. Gaylor Leunam. Lightning looked up. "We're close. They fully inspect the train and passengers before entering the restricted area. We just need to get his attention."

Sazh looked at her. "You serious?" he asked.

Leunam was talking to a soldier before he stopped right in front of the trio. He looked directly at the former soldier. "Lightning Farron. How odd is it to see you here?" he asked. She didn't even regard him. "To think that you, an officer of the Guardian Corps and a fellow Sanctum official, volunteered to be Purged. Such a waste." She simply scoffed at the remark. "You know, you can still escape this fate. I can arrange for you to be freed, and I'm sure you can find a way to repay me," he proposed.

She simply rolled her eyes. "No thanks, Gaylor. I'd rather kiss this idiot," she said while gesturing to Nero.

This got the half-devil's attention. "Hey!"

He turned his attention to the devil hunter. "Oh. It's you. I've heard rumors of an annoying voice coming from this car. It thought that it might be you," he sneered.

Nero only scoffed. "What was your first clue, Gaylord? How's the mister, by the way?"

The director brushed the insult off. "I've been meaning to ask you about your weapons. They are quite unique. I've never seen such an issue of weaponry."

Nero smirked. "That's because they're custom. I made them myself."

"Yes, I know what custom means. However, I want to know why you are specifically here. Here, with a rogue soldier. If anything, you two are planning something."

Lightning interrupted. "You're letting that paranoid head of yours get to you. You should not let problems like these get involved with your duties," she remarked.

Leunam touched her cheek and chuckled when she withdrew back. "You should worry more about what I'm going to do to you, when I find out about your little plan," he sneered with an evil smile.

Nero answered for her. "We're not planning anything, okay? By the way, you better not mess my weapons up. I wouldn't want your petite little hands to get hurt, Gaylord."

The last word he said out loud. People in the car, soldiers and civilians, started laughing. His face was turning pink. He got the Blue Rose and pointed it at Nero. "SHUT UP! I CAN MAKE SURE YOUR PATHETIC LIFE ENDS BEFORE YOU GET TO PULSE!" he threatened. Nero sat there, unfazed by his threats.

The next moment, the entire train shook, startling anyone, whether sitting or standing. Lightning got up and went for the control in Leunam's pocket. She smashed it on the floor, taking off her garbs in the process. "NOW!" Nero got up and sent his right fist on Leunam's face. He didn't know it, but both of the weapons were back with their creator.

When the director got up, he saw that a dual barrel was pointed right at his chest. "First rule when dealing with me, pal." He cocked his gun. "Never piss me off." A gunshot was heard. The sound of a body falling to the ground was heard.

Bullets were flying at Nero. He avoided them easily. He reached the soldiers, and his fists met their faces. He opened a door and it hit a soldier. He caught him, and was about to knock him out, but noticed that his visor was cracked. It was the snitch. He threw him off the train and heard him scream as he fell. "No second chances, buddy."

He managed to catch up to the female soldier. She was, surprisingly, floating in the air, fending off the soldiers. She finished the last one, when another opened the door with his gun already on the trigger. A shot was heard. She turned to see the soldier down and Nero with a smoking pistol.

"You don't have to thank me," he said while blowing the smoke coming from his pistol.

She walked past him. "I wasn't going to." He chuckled at the comment.

They both stopped when they heard running footsteps. Sazh was running towards them while being followed by a bunch of civilians with guns and rifles. He was smiling. "These people, they want to fight."

Lightning got her Blazefire Saber and turned it into a gun. "Good for them."

Nero opened a box and was somewhat glad to see a missile launcher. He whistled as he examined it, but was cut off when the train shook.

"Give me that!" the soldier ordered as she snatched the launcher out of Nero's hands. She pointed it at a nearby jet. It hit the mark.

Nero looked outside and got a suprising view. Outside the train was a complete warzone. Many other trains were stopped with civilians fighting against more of PSICOM's grunts.

"Man, they must have their entire army after us!" Nero remarked.

Lightning only scoffed. "This is only one percent of the entire army."

Nero's eyes widened. "Seriously? I didn't think that many people believed in the cause."

They were all startled when the roof went off. Outside a huge robot destroyed the remains of the roof.

Sazh screamed. "What's that?"

"A Manasvin Warmech," the soldier answered.

Sazh was on the ground. "RUN!" She went through the hole. "I MEANT AWAY!"

Nero followed shortly after. When he got up he saw a laser flying toward him. He quickly rolled out of the way.

Sazh was slowly climbing up when Nero lifted him up on the roof. "Thanks a bunch."

"You might take that back right now," replied Nero.

The warmech landed on the train, sending Sazh on his behind. "Hey! Let's be rational, now!"

Nero looked at him. "You think that thing will listen to you?" They all jumped back when its buzz saw hands lunged at them. Lightning took out her Blazefire Saber. Sazh took out his Vega 42s. Nero took out Blue Rose.

"They're sending the big guns now. What do we do?" asked Sazh.

Lightning turned to him. "Watch and learn. Cover me!"

She ran to the mech. She was able to land a couple of slashes, before it swiped its arm at her. However, it stopped when Nero and Sazh began firing at it. It began floating backwards. When the mech landed, it began to shake the car they were standing on, trying to send them to the depths below.

"Fall back!" Lightning ordered.

They were able to get back a few feet. Sazh turned to taunt the machine. "Yeah! You're not so tough now, huh?"

As if in response, the jets on its sides were activating. Sazh took a few steps back. "H- Hey, that wasn't meant to be a challenge, now."

"Never push your luck, Sazhy boy," Nero said while putting away Blue Rose and taking out the Red Queen. "Because you never know when it'll run out!" However, he couldn't use it due to the warmech shaking the entire train.

"Time to go!" Lightning exclaimed.

As they jumped of the doomed train cars, a small chocobo flew of Sazh's afro.

Nero noticed it. "What the hell is that?" he asked.

He didn't get his answer, for the warmech had landed on the train. "Cover us, Sazh!"

Nero rushed towards the mech with Lightning. Both of them unleashed a flurry of deadly combos. They both jumped back as they shot at it with their respective guns. The mech had managed to get a few hits on them, but they shook it off.

The warmech then opened a compartment, where a laser cannon was charging for a shot. Nero wouldn't give it the chance. He stabbed the Red Queen on the ground and revved it to its maximum level. He jumped up into the air and performed a Splitter. He jumped back to avoid the explosion that came from it. The recoil caused it to fall down to the depths.

Nero peered over the edge and whistled. "Don't think we'll be seeing that thing again," he stated. He was smiling.

Sazh was on the ground, sighing in relief. "Whew. We did it."

Their celebration was cut short with the sounds of gunfire and jets flying around. Lightning began to walk away.

"Hey! Where are you going?" called Sazh. "Aren't you supposed to be protecting civilians, soldier? I mean, you are Sanctum aren't you?"

Nero's interest was sparked. "If you're Sanctum, aren't you supposed to be helping out your fellow comrades?" the devil hunter asked.

She turned her head to them. "I used to be a soldier." They both watched as she continued to walk off.

Sazh's jaw dropped when Nero began to walk after her. "You too?" he asked.

Nero turned to him. "Better that, than to be a standing target for these grunts. Don't you think?"

He continued on his way, leaving a confused Sazh. The baby chocobo flew off of the man's afro. He looked at it calmly. "Chocobo, we just can't get a break can't we?" It chirped in response.

He put the baby chick back into his afro, and went after the two. Little that they all knew, their journey to save Cocoon, and possibly the entire universe, had just begun.

Ch. 6: The Devil Returns

The three fighters continue onward despite the battle that is being fought. As Nero discovers more about his enemy, he is continually forced to risk using his powers. When he aids the group NORA in the battle, the tide turns in the enemy's favor. Frustrated at the number of deaths before him, Nero loses control, and forces the soldiers to face his wrath. 


	7. The Devil Returns

**Capcom and Square-Enix own DMC and FFXIII respectively. AN:** **Edited recent chapters. If you guys see any mistakes, feel free to review and tell me so I don't have to reread my chapters. And now, on with the show.**

The Hanging Edge- The Devil Returns

The group followed the narrow path that was the railway. Everywhere they looked, an explosion, or a jet was flying past them, unleashing their ammo. If the people were fighting PSICOM, they were surely losing.

The group stopped behind some boxes. "Why've we stopped? What's going on?" Nero asked.

Lightning gestured forward. "There are enemies up ahead. We need to take them out," she said.

Sazh was hesitant. "Okay. Not wanting to get Purged, I get. But taking on trained soldiers?" he asked.

"Better that, than to be sent to Pulse," she answered. "It's hell without a brimstone."

Nero chuckled. He knew a bit about how to deal with hell-related beings. "Well, hell doesn't look to bad right now. This place ain't exactly paradise, y'know," he remarked.

They looked up ahead to see a lone soldier with two quadruped monsters. "Pantherons. They're only domesticated peacekeepers. Nothing to worry about," she assured.

Sazh looked at her. "Yeah, maybe for a trained soldier, but not-" He was cut off as she charged to the patrol.

"Preemptive Strike!"

The patrol noticed them. Sazh groaned. "So much for the element of surprise," he lamented.

"Yeah, you kinda gave us away there, girly," Nero remarked.

She brushed the insult off and charged at that soldier. After avoiding the flying bullets, she struck him down. Nero and Sazh were able to dispatch the Pantherons with their guns.

Nero sighed. "Today must be our lucky da-" He was cut off by a huge explosion that blasted the bridge in front of them. He was blown back a few feet. He groaned in annoyance when he saw the fallen bridge. "Looks like I spoke too soon," he stated.

Sazh was dusting himself off. "Do we turn back?" he asked.

Lightning looked back at him. "There's no time. Plus the path was blocked."

Nero got up. "So what do we do now?" he asked.

"Be quiet," she ordered.

She slowly walked to the edge. She examined the view, and then snapped her fingers. Nero was surprised when she began to float.

"Whoa. That's a nice toy to have," he praised.

Sazh, however, ran to stop her. They both began struggling with each other. "Let go of me!" she exclaimed.

"Hell no! You're my only way out of here!" he shot back.

Nero was just standing there, wondering what it was that he should do. One second he glanced at Lightning, the next he glanced at Sazh. He knew one thing though, this would be good with popcorn.

The struggle ended when Lightning slugged Sazh to the ground. She tried to activate her gadget again, but it was damaged in the scuffle.

"How'd you do that?" Nero asked.

"It was my portable EMP unit. It allows me to amplify the gravity around me. It's not the standard version, but it gets the job done," she explained.

Nero was amused. "Sweet. So anyways, while you two ladies were having your catfight, I noticed that huge floating bridge over there." He pointed to a floating bridge-like ship.

Sazh got up and saw it as well. "We could use that to get across, right?" he asked.

She examined the ship. "It looks like it."

They found a platform that allowed them to get on the structure. When they got on, they were greeted by a PSICOM squadron. Their leader was in some white gear. "This ain't our lucky day," Sazh remarked.

The leader walked forward. "Deportees, are we? Put your weapons down men. I wouldn't want this to get ugly," he smugly ordered.

Sazh was startled. "Ugly? What does he mean by "ugly?"" he asked.

Lightning got her weapon out. "He wants to kill us without a fight," she answered.

The Marauder charged at them full speed. "Time's up!" he exclaimed.

He would've made contact, had there not been a fist right in the path. While he was in the air, Nero shot some bullets at his jet pack, which malfunctioned. The man began screaming as the jet pack sent him to his doom. Bullets from Sazh and Lightning dispatched the other Enforcers.

"He said he didn't want it to get ugly," Nero remarked. He walked to dead bodies. He was running out of ammo, and these guys had pistols on them. He was disrupted when a flying machine appeared.

"How many mechs do these grunts have?" the devil hunter complained.

They were backing away as the mech, a Myrmidon, tried to drill them with its arm. While Lightning and Sazh shot at it, Nero took a few steps back. He made sure their attention was forward, so they wouldn't see him.

He pointed his gun at the mech. As they shot at it, he channeled some demonic energy into the Blue Rose. He waited until it was fully charged. Finally he made sure his shot would make contact. "Gotcha." The gun unleashed two demon powered bullets. When it hit the mark, a huge chunk of the machine was destroyed, instantly eliminating it.

They both looked at Nero. He simply shrugged. "Lucky shot," he stated. They all walked to the controls. That was when Sazh began questioning the former soldier.

"So what's your angle?" he asked. She was silent. "What? Is that classified information? What's it matter? You quit didn't you? I'm not gonna go and tell everyone your secrets, if that's why," he stated.

Lightning finally answered. "The Pulse fal'Cie."

Sazh stopped in his tracks. His face showed a surprised expression. "That's my angle. I'm after the fal'Cie." She slowly walked to the controls. The lever activated the platform, as they began to move. "Still happy that you tagged along?" she asked.

Sazh only looked at the ground. "Didn't have a choice," he answered.

Sazh then looked at Nero. He was reloading his gun. "What about you, kid? What's your angle?"

Nero looked at him. "One. Don't call me kid. The name's Nero. Two. I don't have an angle. I'm just here by chance."

Sazh examined him closely. "Y'know, you handled those soldiers like nothing. You had a pretty good idea about how things were gonna go down back at the train, too. What exactly do you do for a living?" he asked.

"He's a mercenary," Lightning answered. They both turned to her. "You know how to fight with a sword pretty well, and your skills with a gun are almost equal to mine. And you're not GC or PSICOM. That can only mean you're a mercenary. Right?"

Nero mentally sighed in relief. It wasn't the truth, but she just gave him a story to go with. "You could say something like that," he answered. He turned to see the landscape before them. It seemed that the people below were still fighting against the grunts. And they were losing.

Sazh observed this as well. "It's an all out massacre," he scowled.

Nero watched in disgust. "Wherever they were meant to go, they aren't even going to get a chance to die there."

Lightning joined in the conversation. "That was always the idea."

They both looked at her. "What?"

"Its Sanctum logic. Conjure up the Purge to eliminate a threat. They don't care about whether we make it to Pulse or get killed on the way. Anything tainted by Pulse must be eliminated. Execution disguised as exile. That's all the Purge ever was," she explained.

Sazh could only chuckle. "Relocation to Pulse, my ass," he muttered.

Nero had an angrier reaction. "Where the hell do these people get off by pulling shit like that?" He then turned to the woman. "You knew this was gonna happen, didn't you?" he accused.

Lightning looked away from him. "This was all PSICOM. The Guardian Corps isn't in charge of the Purge."

Nero only scoffed. "Soldiers are soldiers. You give them an order, and they do it."

Sazh backed him. "Pulse fal'Cie and their l'Cie are enemies of Cocoon. If a soldier is told to kill an enemy, do you really think it matters what faction they're from?" he exclaimed.

Lightning gestured to one of the dead soldiers. "It probably mattered to him. He couldn't shoot, and ended up getting shot instead." Nero looked at the body, feeling sorry for the poor guy in it.

Sazh walked up. "What about you soldier? Orders say shoot, and you pull the trigger?" he asked. Lightning was silent. He simply shrugged. "Fine! Forget I asked."

Nero looked at the battle. The civilians were just like the soldier. Many were fighting for their lives, but to no avail. They needed an ace in the hole. They needed a miracle. He to thought himself for a few seconds, until he made his decision.

Lightning noticed him walking to the edge. "Where are you going?" she asked.

He gave a simple answer. "To help those people. They don't stand a chance against PSICOM."

She gave a doubting look. "You're going to go down there?"

"Yep."

"Right now?"

"Yep."

She was baffled. "You do know that they're ALL the way down there, right?" she asked.

He looked indifferent. "I know."

"As in almost ten stories from where we are?"

Nero was getting irritated. "I know."

"You might not survive the fall."

"I know."

"You could die!" she exclaimed.

"I KNOW!" he finally screamed. He gave a heavy sigh. He looked at her and smirked. "But I won't."

Sazh got involved. "Now, think about this, son. You get off here, there ain't no going back. No one can survive a- Hey wait!"

Nero had already jumped off the ship. He saluted them as he was freefalling.

They exchanged looks. "That kid ain't human," he remarked.

"Got that right," the soldier added.

Nero continued to feel the air as he fell. Bullets flew past him, but he avoided them easily. He did a front flip before landing easily on his feet. He quickly dusted himself off as he rose. When he turned around, he was welcomed with the unpleasant sight of soldiers aiming their weapons at him. He quickly got his gun and pointed it at them. Bullets were fired instantly, as all of the soldiers were taken out. Nero stood there silently. By now, he would have walked away. But there was one problem. He never pulled the trigger.

He turned around only to be pulled to the ground behind a crate. When he looked up, a hot girl was ducking right next to him.

However, Nero recognized her. "Hey, you're that one bartender from the other day!"

She looked at him. "The name's Lebreau. Duck!" They both ducked to avoid fire.

She scolded him. "What're you doing standing in the middle of a gunfight? Are you trying to get killed?"

A voice behind them defended him. "Don't worry about this guy. He can handle himself." They both turned around, and he was surprised to see the boyfriend himself, Snow.

"Well, looks like you made it out alright," Nero said.

Snow smirked. "That's some stuff, jumping off a high ledge. You've got guts, man."

Nero was silent. He didn't think they would see him do that. He looked up to see that there were people captive behind those soldiers. "We've got to get these people out of here. They won't last long if bullets are flying," he stated.

Snow got a grenade and threw it at the soldiers. "Don't worry. The army's no match for NORA!"

Nero raised an eyebrow. "Who the hell is-" He was interrupted by the explosion caused by the grenade. The soldiers were killed instantly.

They were able to rally the people into one group.

"You guys all okay?" Snow asked. Everyone looked up at the resistance fighters.

A boy came from behind Nero and accidentally dropped a bunch of guns. "What's a kid doin' with all these guns?" he asked.

Snow turned to the people. "No one's going to Pulse today. You guys stay here. We'll clear a pa-" He was cut off as people began to stir up. They wanted to fight.

NORA's leader thought for a moment until he came to a decision. "Alright. Volunteers front and center."

Nero was surprised to see how many people wanted to fight.

He saw a lady with silver hair get up. A boy looked up at her. "Mom?"

She looked back and smiled at him. "Don't worry."

The woman picked up a rifle and walked to Snow. He looked at her, unsure of letting her fight. "You sure about fighting?" he asked.

She nodded. "Moms are tough," she answered.

Snow got the last gun and approached the group. "Last gun, who wants it?" Nero walked closely behind him.

The woman's son slowly backed away. He really didn't like fighting. After a few seconds, a girl walked up to Snow for the gun. "Here!"

They both looked at her in disbelief, until Nero whispered to Snow. "You sure you want a kid to handle a gun?"

After thinking for a bit, he decided to give it to her. "Push comes to shove, and keep it safe," he instructed.

She examined it and pointed it at Nero. She pretended to shoot it. "Bang!" she imitated. Nero decided to play along and pretended he got shot.

'Nero was living proof. Proof that no matter how hideous someone looked on the outside, if you look hard enough, you'll always find a kind and caring heart on the inside.'

Snow rallied everyone together. "Lay low and you'll be fine. We'll separate into two groups. I'll lead the offensive side with Gadot and Lebreau. Everyone else will be with Yuj, Maqui, and the new guy."

Nero quickly protested. "Hold up a sec! I didn't sign up to babysit! You're gonna need me if-"

Snow grabbed his shoulder. "Listen, you're a good fighter. But these people aren't. If you want to fight, do it after these people are safe. These people need heroes! Can I trust you to be theirs?" Nero took these words to heart. These people did need someone to look up to.

He finally agreed. "Fine. I'll do it," he stated.

Snow nodded. He walked to the front of the group. "We're going home together!"

Lebreau ordered everyone to get up and the groups were separated.

Nero noticed that the boy was still on the ground. He walked up to him. "Come on, kid. Time to go." The boy looked up at him.

Nero smiled. "Don't worry. I'll protect you guys," he assured. The boy thought to himself for a few seconds. Finally, he decided that he would trust him. They both got up and followed the group.

It took a while, but they managed to find a structure that had a good view of the other group's progress. "Everyone accounted for?" asked Nero. The two boys nodded to answer.

"Alright. I'm gonna go catch up to Snow. See if I can help out. I'm trusting you guys to keep these people safe until I get back. Okay?" They both nodded.

"Good luck!" the blue-haired Yuj said.

"Wait!" As Nero was walking away, he was stopped by the boy from before. Following him was the girl who "shot" him. "What's up?" he asked.

The boy looked down. "My- My mom... She's down there." Nero raised an eyebrow. "Please- Please bring her back!"

Nero only sighed. "Listen, kid. I'll be honest with you. There's a chance your mom is already dead. I can't guarantee I'll bring her back."

They boy was silent. He was about to cry, when a hand patted his head. "But I'll do my best to get her back alive."

He looked up to see the man giving him a reassuring smile. He turned his back and began running towards the warzone.

The battle was at a stalemate. The PSICOM soldiers kept firing, while NORA did the same. It looked as if NORA was going to have the advantage, until PSICOM ships arrived at the scene. Snow, Gadot, and Lebreau were advancing, until a huge beast blocked their path.

"A Beta Behemoth? They must really want us dead!" remarked Gadot.

Snow got in a fighting stance. "Heroes don't run from fights," he stated.

He charged at the beast giving him hard punches, thanks to his Wild Bear coat attachment. Gadot and Lebreau covered him with fire. The monster, however, was still stronger.

It swiped at Snow, sending him to the ground. The beast stood on its two legs. It then took out a huge blue blade. Snow did not have enough time to react as it swung its sword. He closed his eyes for the end, only it never came. He opened his eyes to see Nero holding the blade with his right hand.

"Kid!" Snow called.

Nero pushed it back effortlessly. "The name's Nero," he corrected.

Snow looked at his hand, and saw blue light where his hand should be. "Your hand..."

Nero looked at it and saw that part of his glove was burned. He examined it and gave a heavy sigh. "Dammit. Well, I was getting tired of hiding this thing, anyway."

He ripped whatever was left of his glove, and threw it to the ground. Snow, Gadot, and Lebreau's eyes widened when he rolled up his sleeve, revealing his powerful Devil Bringer. This caught the eyes of certain woman nearby.

Snow stared at him. "What are you?" he asked in awe.

The half-demon turned to him. "We could sit and play 20 questions, or you could get these people the hell outta here! I'll keep poochie here occupied." Snow snapped out of it and gestured everyone to follow him.

The monster swiped at him but he easily dodged. The creature tried to eat Nero, but his Bringer and legs kept its jaws open. "You hungry, boy? Eat this!"

He used his left hand to shoot at the creature's mouth. As the beast was reeling in pain, Nero began punching the creature in the gut. He then sent it flying with an uppercut. He jumped into the air and stabbed the Red Queen into its gut. He revved it to maximum level, letting the heat surround the creature's body. Nero turned the Behemoth into a ticking time bomb.

"Now play dead!" He flung it at a nearby ship, where they were both destroyed. "Good boy."

When he landed, a huge explosion rocked the bridge, sending him to the ground. When he looked up, he saw the disturbing sight of people, civilian and soldier alike, falling to their deaths.

He was at the edge when he heard a voice call to him. "Nero!"

Nero looked down to see Snow hanging on for his life. He was holding on to a woman as well.

"Grab my hand!" Nero called.

"I can't! Get her out first!" Snow exclaimed. He tried lifting the woman's hand to his, but he didn't have enough strength.

The woman narrowed her eyes when she saw Nero. "I- It's you."

Nero looked at her. "What?"

"You've grown... So much... I'm glad that I could see you... One last time."

Nero was extremely confused. "W- Who are you? How do you know me?" he called.

Her life was slipping. "P- Please... Get him home. Both of you... Get Hope home!" After that she went limp.

Nero eyes widened in both confusion and shock. The next moment, he felt a sharp pain in his back. He had been shot.

He was helpless as he saw Snow and the woman fall to the depths. There was only one other time he felt this helpless. It was when he failed to protect her from him. The mere thought of it made him angry. Nero could not contain it anymore. His eyes turned red.

As the soldiers approached, they were blown back by a strong force. When the dust cleared, they saw a huge, blue silhouette of a monster. The creature swiped it's arm, backhanding the soldiers, and killing them instantly. More soldiers appeared. They shot at the beast, not noticing that their bullets flew right through it. It reached for a sword that was on a scabbard attached to its left arm. It swung at them. A huge wave of demonic energy came from the spectral sword, destroying the bridge and instantly killing the soldiers. The creature roared as it disappeared.

The boy was still standing there, shocked at seeing the sight of a monster and his mother falling to her death. A pain in his cheek was what brought him back to reality. He turned to the girl. "C'mon, we've got to go."

They would have, had it not been for the red and blue claw that was getting itself on the ledge. They both were shocked to see Nero, whom they both saw get shot by PSICOM, emerging. Nero laid on his back, drained of his energy. He saw two people walking up to him before he passed out.

Ch. 7: The Vestige

Nero awakens from his Devil Trigger, and finds two children tending him, a boy named Hope Estheim and a girl named Vanille. Moments later, a floating structure appears in the sky. The trio venture into the tower, hoping to find and confront the leader of NORA, Snow Villiers. They get more than they bargained for when they cross paths with a certain soldier and pilot.


	8. The Vestige

**Capcom and Square-Enix own DMC and FFXIII respectively. AN: Reedited last chapter.**

The Hanging Edge- The Vestige

Nero woke up to the taste of cold medicine in his mouth. He quickly sat up, trying to spit out whatever was in his mouth.

"Don't do that! Otherwise, the potion won't work." He looked up and saw two familiar faces. The girl who "shot" him and the boy who told Nero to get his mom back.

"Drink up!" she cheerfully said.

Nero examined it. "I'll take your word for it, little lady."

He drank all of it. That was when he noticed that his Devil Bringer was still out. He quickly hid it, to make sure they didn't see it. But it was too late.

The boy spoke up. "We already know about that thing. We saw it when you emerged from the edge."

Nero couldn't look at him. He failed him. Whoever his mom was, she either died back at the bridge, or fell to her death.

Nero noticed that he was separated from everyone else. "Why is everyone else not freaking out about me?"

The girl answered. "That's because they don't know about you."

Nero was surprised. "You guys have kept me hidden?"

"Yep," was her answer.

"We also saw that huge monster. That was you wasn't it?" the boy asked.

"Long story, not enough time to tell it right now," Nero replied.

He examined the two. "What's up with you two? You guys aren't scared of me?" he asked.

"Nope!" the girl answered.

He looked at the boy. "What about you?"

The boy looked at the ground. "Well... At first, I was a little scared. But... If you were a monster, we'd be dead right now." Nero sighed. "We also saw how you fought to save those people."

Nero looked down. "Yeah, and look what happened. Everyone still ended up dying. I couldn't even find your mom. I failed you, kid," he lamented.

The boy looked at him. "Yeah you did. When you got shot, you were trying to save her."

Nero's eyes widened. His mom was the lady who knew him. He decided not to tell him anything about that. "So you're Hope."

The boy, Hope, looked at him. "How do you know my name?" he asked.

"Your mom told me to protect you before she-" He stopped. He remembered what had happened to her. "I'm sorry," he apologized.

"It's all right. I- It wasn't your fault that she died," he replied.

Suddenly, a siren was heard. Nero quickly got up as everyone's attention was turned to where the sound was coming from. There was a huge door opening in the cave's ceiling. Out of it emerged a huge floating tower. A huge intercom was then heard.

"**Attention Purge deportees. Attention Purge deportees. Put down your weapons and surrender immediately. Your removal is the will of the people of Cocoon. Should you attempt to flee, the Sanctum will employ every resource necessary to bring you to justice. This land is no longer your home. Cease hostilities and surrender at once."**

Snow emerged from the rubble. Somehow, he miraculously survived. His attention was turned to the sky. His eyes widened when he saw the tower that his fiancée was held in. "Serah..."

Lightning and Sazh had a good view of the structure. Her eyes narrowed at it. Sazh looked at her. "Just what you were looking for," he remarked.

"Yeah, right in there. That's where it is."

Sazh chuckled. "The Pulse fal'Cie," he muttered.

Nero quickly examined the structure as it flew by. "That thing... That was back in Bodhum, wasn't it?" he asked.

"Yeah," answered Hope, who was taking off his garments. The boy then looked at a mother nearby. She was taking care of her child. He had sad look on his eyes. 'Mom...'

Nero noticed this. He patted his shoulder. "It's alright. I'll get you out of here."

The girl had just finished taking off her garments as well. They both turned to look at her, and couldn't help but stare at her. Her smile to them was what snapped them out of it. The girl then turned her attention to a gun that was on the ground. She picked it up and handed it to Hope.

He was only looking at it when she hugged him. "It's too much isn't?" She took a few steps back. "Face it later." They both raised an eyebrow. "Ciao!" she said before running off.

"Hey!" the boy called.

Nero leaned and whispered to him. "I think she likes you."

He looked at him with a startled expression. "What?"

Nero began running. "C'mon! You don't want your girlfriend to find someone else, do you?" He was laughing as the boy chased after him.

When they caught up with the girl, they saw that two vehicles were landing on the bridge. On one of them was NORA's leader, Snow. "Man, this guy doesn't die," Nero muttered to himself.

Hope narrowed his eyes at him. "That's him. He's the one."

Nero looked at him. "Whaddya mean?" he asked.

The girl walked up. "Didn't you have something to tell him?" she asked.

He looked at her. "Yeah, but... I..."

She walked closer. "I'll go with you," she assured.

Nero snickered. "Yeah. While you're at it, you can hold his hand, too." Hope sent a glare at him.

She got behind Hope and pushed him. "Go on," she urged.

When he didn't move, she sighed and walked forward. "HEY!"

However, Snow was already leaving with his hover bike. Nero whistled when Snow flew away. "That's a sweet bike," he praised.

The girl ran after Snow calling for him. As she was screaming after him, Nero walked up to the other hover bike. "If you guys really wanna catch up to him, I suggest we use this." Hope walked up to it. "You know how to fly this, Hope?" Nero asked.

The boy examined it. "I think so. Yeah."

Suddenly, he was pushed inside by the girl. "Alright! In you go!"

She was about to do the same with Nero when he raised his hands. "Ladies first," he said.

She curtsied and got inside. Nero got in behind her. It was crowded, but it worked. The girl pointed at where Snow went to. The huge structure.

Hope was hesitant. "If we go in there... That thing could... It could turn us into l'Cie," he explained.

The girl encouraged him. "You can do it."

Nero called to Hope. "Don't worry. Take your time, kid. You don't have to go immediately. Make sure you got this-"

"HEY! WHAT ARE YOU DOING THERE?" They all turned to see Gadot running to them.

Nero turned to the boy. "Go. Go. GO!"

Hope got it started. "Hang on!" he ordered.

They were in the air. Nero called to him. "Sorry! We just need to borrow this for a while! However I can't guarantee we'll have it back in one piece! Y'know what? Don't expect to have this back!"

When he finished, they instantly flew away. The speed of the vehicle caused the boy and girl to scream. Nero, however, was more worried about not falling off of the strange vehicle.

They all stopped screaming when another bike was next to them. "Stop the vehicle, or I will fire!" The vehicle was manned by a PSICOM soldier.

Nero groaned. "You keep your eyes on the road, kid. I'll deal with this grunt."

The soldier began firing his pistol. The bullets were easily blocked by Nero's own bullets. He then used his Grim Grip ability to pull the soldier out of the vehicle; sending him to his doom.

The two teens looked at him. "How did you do that?" asked Hope.

However, Nero's attention was elsewhere. "Kid, what did I tell you about keeping your eyes on the road?" he screamed.

He turned to see them heading for the floating tower. They were all screaming the whole way.

-Pulse Vestige-

Hope woke up to see that they were inside the Vestige. The girl woke up around the same time. She looked around to see their ride totaled. "Oh. That's too bad."

She then noticed something. "Say, where's that other man?"

Then a muffled voice was heard. "Down here."

She looked down to see that she was sitting on Nero. "Oops. Sorry about that."

He dusted himself off, and examined his surroundings. "Are we... In the tower?" he asked.

The girl looked around. "I guess it's just us," she stated.

Hope spoke up. "Well what did you expect? Even soldiers know not to go near the fal'Cie. You become a l'Cie, and you're finished."

The girl gave a questioning look. "Finished?" the girl asked.

Hope looked up. "Haven't you heard, Miss- Umm..."

She answered for him. "My name is Vanille."

Hope sighed. "What went through our heads when we decided to come here?" he asked himself.

Nero walked up to him. "Look on the bright side. At least we don't have to worry about those grunts shooting at us. And since we're here, we might as well look around." He kept walking as the two followed.

"What kind of name is Vanille?" the devil hunter asked.

She turned to him. "And what's your name, tough guy?"

"It's Nero," he answered in monotonous tone.

As they were walking up a flight of stairs, Vanille saw something that caught her eyes. "Check this out!" They both turned and saw her get something from behind a statue. She took out some kind of rod with antlers on it. "Well?"

Nero and Hope tilted their heads. "What is it?" the boy asked.

"It's a Binding Rod. It's used to catch lots of things. Birds, fish. You name it!" she explained.

Nero suddenly stiffened. He heard the sound of an animal nearby. He turned to see a pack of Pantherons heading towards them. "Stay back! I'll deal with these guys." He pulled out the Red Queen and got in his fighting stance.

Vanille quickly ran to his side. "I've got some tricks of my own!"

Hope slowly walked to them. "It isn't much, but an Airwing boomerang should cause some damage," he muttered.

Nero smirked. "Try to keep up," he ordered.

He charged at one of them and performed a couple of combos on it. Vanille sent some wires to one of them and pulled back. The hooks tore off some its skin, killing it after a few throws. Hope threw his boomerang at another one. After avoiding it and a few more throws he dispatched it. However, there was another Pantheron lurking behind him. Nero noticed it in time and used his Snatch ability to grab it. He then slammed it to the ground with his Bringer, killing it instantly.

"That's just a taste of what this thing can do," he bragged.

After a short break, they began to move again. All around them was rubble and broken machinery. Nero sighed. "Man. And I thought Dante's place was a dump," he muttered.

Hope spoke up. "Aren't you guys scared?" he asked.

They both looked at him. "I've seen a lot of things in my life, kid. And they were WAY scarier than these small fries," he answered.

"You don't get it!" he exclaimed.

Vanille took a deep breath. She turned to Hope. "Pulse fal'Cie and l'Cie are bad news. That's why Cocoon kicked them out. Live too close to the fal'Cie? One-way ticket to Pulse. That's the Purge in a nutshell!"

They both just stared at her, a look of surprise in their faces. "I don't know half the crap that goes on around here, but I'm pretty sure you just got burned, kid," Nero remarked.

"If they catch us here, we'll be Purged too!" Hope exclaimed.

"We already were Purged. What's up with you?" Nero asked.

He turned to him. "Pulse is hell! No one can survive there!"

He was interrupted by Vanille hugging him. "It'll be fine." He slowly pushed her away.

A voice was then heard. It belonged to Snow. "Serah! Where are you?"

They all looked up. "So that's why he's here. He came for his girlfriend," Nero deduced.

Suddenly a new set of stairs appeared before them. "Hang on, Serah! Your hero's on the way!"

Hope scowled. "He's here. And he's calling himself a hero?" he muttered angrily.

A nearby door was opened. A strange symbol that was on it disappeared. They were going to go through when a Pantheron jumped after them. Nero spotted it and slammed it hard on the platform. Suddenly the floor began to break. Nero had slammed the platform a little too hard. The floor finally gave in as Nero fell.

Hope and Vanille rushed to the edge. "NERO!"

Sazh was sitting on the ground as the rogue soldier, Lightning, was trying to slash a door open. It wasn't working. "This thing still won't budge?" he asked.

She stopped slashing it. "I think the metal door is winning," he remarked.

She only looked at the floor. "This was me. It's all my fault," she muttered.

Sazh was confused. "What'd you say?" he asked.

She turned to face him. "Get back and cover your ears."

He nodded in understanding. "You're using a blast charge? Hold up a sec. Wait up!" He quickly ran back and ducked away from the door. "Okay, I'm ready! Make it happen!"

She walked up and touched the glowing red symbol on the door. "I'm so sorry. Please... Let me in," she pleaded. As if in response, the symbol glowed bright red and disappeared.

When Sazh got up, the door was open. "Whoa. How'd you open it?" Lightning only walked forward. "Okay. Ladies first, I guess."

She stopped walking when she heard screaming. She tilted her head upwards and saw a person falling to a platform that was ahead. Sazh squinted his eyes. He couldn't believe it. "Hey. Isn't that-"

"OW!"

Lightning gave a heavy sigh. "Yes it is."

Nero's behind was hurting bad. If he was human, a fall like that would have killed him.

"NERO!" He looked up to hear Hope and Vanille's voices. "Nero! Are you alright?"

He called to them. "My ass hurts like hell, but otherwise I'm okay! Listen, don't wait for me. Get out of there! I'll catch up!" he ordered.

He got up and started walking before a voice called to him. "How'd you get here?"

He turned around to see Lightning and Sazh. He flashed a grin and waved at them. "I got a ride."

The soldier instantly got her gun and pointed it at him. That's when it hit him. He waved his Devil Bringer at them.

He groaned in irritation as he stroke the bridge of his nose. "Okay, look. I can explain-" He jumped back a few feet when she shot at his feet. When he landed, he had his Blue Rose pointed right at her.

"Whoa, whoa! Hold on you two! Now, let's all stop and breathe for a second, before we start shooting at each other!" Sazh reasoned.

They both stared each other down. The silence was broken when Nero shot Blue Rose. Lightning quickly fired her Blazefire Saber. The bullet went straight to Nero's head. He fell to the ground.

Sazh pulled her around to show her a rock-like monster that was on the ground. Two bullet holes were on its cracked forehead. She suddenly figured it out. Nero had saved her.

"You shot him. He saved your life, and you shot him!" he exclaimed.

"Yeah, and it fuckin' hurt!" They both turned to see, to their shock, Nero standing up.

"You guys wouldn't know this because you're human, but a bullet to the head hurts. Like, a lot," he stated. He pulled the bullet out of his forehead with the Devil Bringer.

There was a few seconds of silence. A huge thud was then heard. They both turned to see Sazh had fainted.

Lightning just stared at the half-demon, her finger still on the trigger. "What are you?" she asked in awe.

Nero chuckled as he walked towards her. He stopped when his chest was pressed against her gun. "I'll tell you, but only if you put the gun away." She thought in silence for a few seconds. Finally, she decided to comply.

After waking up Sazh, Nero went on to tell them everything. He started with the fact that he was a half-demon devil hunter, and that his occupation was why he knew how to fight so well. He also told them that he was from another world, and that he was on a mission when he came to Cocoon.

"You honestly expect us to believe that?" she asked.

Nero raised his Bringer. "Does this look fake to you?" he shot back.

Sazh was in disbelief. "Wow. I mean, I knew I said you weren't human. But I didn't think I was right!" he remarked.

Lightning sighed and began walking away.

"Why are you guys here, anyway?" Nero asked.

She stopped walking. "We came here to find the fal'Cie. And Serah."

Nero looked at her with a confused expression. "Serah?"

"My sister. She's a l'Cie," she explained.

Sazh walked up to her. "She's a l'Cie? Is she... a Pulse l'Cie?" he asked. He took her silence as a yes. "What was her Focus? It wasn't "blow up Cocoon," was it?"

She looked at the ground. "I never asked," she replied.

He looked at the ground. "How do I put this... When they fail their Focus, they become Cie'th. That rock monster we saw. And there's no way to turn them back into human. Even if she does complete her Focus... She can't escape her fate. She'll be a fal'Cie slave for the rest of her life..."

Everything in the room was silent. "Don't let her suffer."

"JUST SAY IT!" she screamed, startling both of them. "You think that all l'Cie should be wiped off the face of Cocoon! No, the whole universe!" Sazh could only look away. "It's people like you, people who only care about saving themselves regardless of who suffers for you. It's those kinds of people who started the Purge in the first place," she scowled.

She walked away in anger. Nero could only look at her.

After a few more encounters with Cie'th, the group found an elevator. When they got off, Lightning found what she was looking for. In front of them was the unconscious body of her sister, Serah.

"Serah!" she called.

Nero eyes widened to see it was the girlfriend. "That's your sister?" he asked.

"Yeah, now help me get her out of here. We have to leave before the army finds her," she ordered. Sazh was the only one not moving. "What's wrong?" she asked.

Sazh stared at the mark on her arm. "That's a Pulse brand. She's a Pulse l'Cie..."

She was irritated. "I know. I said that already," she replied.

"Pulse l'Cie are enemies of Cocoon..." He was reaching for one of his pistols.

He stopped when Blue Rose was pointed at his face. "Easy, Sazhy boy. I don't want to use this," Nero warned.

"Look, if she fails her Focus you know what'll happen," he reasoned.

"Killing her isn't a mercy. She doesn't deserve to have her life taken because of some stupid tattoo!" the half-demon shot back.

They all stopped when Serah began speaking. "Lightning... You came..." She had a relieved smile on her face.

The soldier knelt down to comfort her, when a familiar voice was heard. "SERAH!" They all turned to see an elevator descending, with Snow, Hope, and Vanille as its passengers.

"You guys!" Nero called. He was glad to see that all of them were all right. However, Lightning had a scowl on her face.

Snow knelt down by his fiancée. "Is that... my hero?" she asked.

Snow nodded. "Don't worry, I'll get you out of-"

Lightning cut him off. "No. I'm taking her home," she exclaimed.

Snow gave a confused look. "But Sis-"

"I am not your sister!" she blurted. "You didn't protect her! This is all your-"

Her sister's voice stopped her. "You can save us all..." Everyone's attention was turned to the l'Cie.

"What?" asked the oldest Farron sister.

"Protect us all... Please... Save Cocoon."

Lightning's eyes widened. "Was that your Focus? To save Cocoon?" she asked.

Snow gripped her hands. "Don't worry. I'll save Cocoon! Everyone! You just relax, okay? I'll take care of everything. You just rest," he assured.

"Somehow, I'll make things right," Lightning assured.

Serah gave a happy smile as she closed her eyes. "Thank you..."

Suddenly she began to glow as she floated in the air. Everyone looked in horror as it was happening.

"W- What's happening to her?" Nero asked.

Hope explained while looking at Serah. "She completed her Focus. When l'Cie complete their Focus, they turn into crystal," he explained.

Only a small tear fell to Snow's hand, where it became a small crystal. The half-demon saw a familiar expression, one that he knew all too well. Sadness at the loss of a loved one. Snow had just lost her the hard way.

Serah's crystallized body slowly descended to the ground. Everyone was silent as it occurred. Snow slowly walked to her. "Sweet dreams... Serah."

Lightning was quickly infuriated. "What do you mean sweet dreams? She isn't sleeping! She- She's-"

Snow interrupted her. "She's alive! Remember the legend! What happens to l'Cie who complete their Focus?"

Nero was the one who spoke. "They... They gain eternal life." Everyone turned to him. "I- I read a couple of books since I got here... One of them was on l'Cie. It said that when they complete it, they turn into crystal and gain eternal life," he explained.

Snow looked at her. "You see? It's the same with Serah. She's not dead!" he exclaimed. Everyone was silent. He turned to her sister. "Serah is my fiancée. I don't care how many years I have to wait! I promised to be hers forev-"

A hard punch from the Lightning was what stopped him. 'Ouch.' was everyone's thought to that.

"Don't you get it? It's over!" she exclaimed. Only a few seconds passed when the entire foundation began to shake.

Hope starting screaming as he fell to his knees. "What is that?" he asked.

Sazh looked up. "The army. It's a Sanctum strike!"

Parts of the ceiling began to fall off. A huge chunk was falling towards Vanille and Hope. Luckily, Nero used his Grim Grip to get them both out of the way. After a short while, the shaking stopped. Everyone looked up to see if everyone was okay. Their attention was then turned to a nearby door, which opened as soon as the attack ended. Everyone guessed that that was where the fal'Cie was.

Snow looked at the crystal Serah. "You wait here. I'll be back," he assured.

Sazh looked at him. "Hey, Trench Coat! Where do you think you're going?" he asked.

The man looked back. "I've got a date with a fal'Cie. There are some things I want to talk about," he answered.

Sazh was extremely hesitant. "Are you out of your mind? You think that thing wants to help _you_? That thing will chew you up and spit you out!" he exclaimed.

He turned to him. "What else do you want me to do?" he exclaimed.

Everyone was silent. The only sounds heard were Lightning's footsteps. Snow had a confused look until he realized she was heading for the fal'Cie's chamber. He didn't hesitate to follow her.

Sazh sighed heavily in disbelief. "Here we go," he muttered. The afro man reluctantly followed them.

Hope was in disbelief. "You guys want to take on the fal'Cie? That's insane!" he yelled.

Nero only stood there in silence. "Why? Why would they- Why even bother?" he muttered. He reached for the trinket around his neck. He looked at it closely. This was the gold half of the Perfect Amulet. This was his reminder of the one who took what he cared about most. That's when he finally realized it. Snow had a chance to get her back. And no way was he about to give it up.

Nero began walking after them. "You too?" the boy asked.

Nero looked at him. "There's someone I've been looking for. I have something that belongs to him, and I have to talk to him about it. I can't die until then." He walked a few steps forward. "That means they're not going to die today. I understand if you're scared. But stay here, and you'll get crushed. We'll fight the fal'Cie. You can hide while we deal with it, okay?"

Hope didn't know why, but there was something about Nero that he could trust. He slowly followed behind him along with Vanille. The whole group was silent as they walked onward towards their destiny.

Ch. 8: The Mark of the l'Cie

The group fight against the fal'Cie Anima, hoping to save Serah from her crystal prison. However, before it could die, the group are turned into l'Cie, beings who must perform a certain goal in a unknown amount of time. The realization threatens to tear them apart. Elsewhere, an ally of Nero makes his way to the new world.


	9. The Mark of the l'Cie

**Capcom and Square-Enix own DMC and FFXIII respectively. AN: In this fic, Nero's fighting stance is like Terra's from Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep, except Nero holds his sword with his left hand. Just letting you guys know.**

Pulse Vestige- The Mark of the L'Cie

The group walked into the fal'Cie's chamber. Lightning and Snow came to save Serah while everyone else was caught up in the series of events. Nero was actually dragged into these events when he was, literally, dragged to Cocoon. He still had trouble adjusting to the new environment.

The chamber was dark. The only light that could be seen was the light coming from Nero's Devil Bringer. Hope spoke up, but in fear. "So this thing... is the fal'Cie?" he asked.

"Yep. That's it all right," answered Sazh.

Nero examined it closely. "So that's what a fal'Cie looks like, huh? Never actually seen one before. Didn't expect it to look like a robot," he stated.

Snow walked up and called to the creature. "You got what you wanted! Serah's a crystal now. She completed her Focus! Now let her go!"

There was no response. Suddenly, he fell on his knees. "Please! Turn her back! I- I'll be your l'Cie instead! Just let her go!" he pleaded. Still no response.

Nero groaned in annoyance. He knew this was getting them nowhere. "You guys sure this thing isn't a statue? It's just sitting there," he observed.

Then, as if in response to his statement, Lightning walked up with her Blazefire Saber in hand. "Fine, you go on begging! Like this thing gives a damn about what we want!" She charged at the being and began attacking it, but to no avail.

"Lightning!" Snow called.

Everyone's attention was turned to her. "It's this thing's fault that the Purge started, and its people who are dying. Serah told us to save Cocoon, which means that this thing needs to die!" she exclaimed.

"That's the most logical thing I've heard all day," the half-demon stated with a smirk. He clenched his Devil Bringer, ready to show off more of its abilities.

Suddenly, the room flashed with light. Two huge drills then rose from the floor. A huge light then blinded everyone. When it subsided, a huge machine-like creature was there. It had a huge crystal on its chest.

Hope panicked and tried to make a break for it. However, a huge force field cut him off. Vanille followed him and helped him up.

"You're not fighting this alone, Sis!" Snow called.

"Don't call me that! And don't get in my way, Snow!" she remarked.

Sazh walked up. "Come on now. You really think you can kill a fal'Cie?" Sazh asked.

"Do whatever you want! I'm doing this for Serah!" she exclaimed.

Nero walked up to them. "You don't have to fight, Sazh. We can handle it," he assured.

Then, Sazh's chocobo flew into the man's hand. "Dajh..." He then joined them. "Count me in. Hope you guys don't mind amateurs. Got to put these guns to use." He got his Vega 42s out.

Snow grinned. "We take all kinds!"

The soldier looked at the half-demon. "Think you can keep up, Nero? This isn't exactly a demon, you know," she warned.

"A friend of mine once said that devils never cry," he said while getting Red Queen out, revving it to the maximum level. "So let's find out what it takes to make a fal'Cie cry!"

_'And that's how I ended up here. Now, I know what you're thinking. "Man Nero! You've had a helluva week! You've had to deal with a bunch of grunts trying to kill you, and you've been shot by a very hot girl who has a HUGE attitude problem." Well, if you thought getting here was something, wait till you see what happened next.'_

Nero, Lightning, and Snow charged at the fal'Cie, Anima. They all attacked it simultaneously, but were all thrown back by a huge claw from the creature. When they got up, a huge drill lunged at them. Nero saw an open slot. He reached for it using his Bringer. He clenched his teeth as he pulled the drill from its place. The creature screamed in pain.

"That's it. We need to take out those drills!" the soldier ordered.

Nero looked at the afro man. "Sazh! Take out the other drill!" he ordered.

He cocked his guns. "Don't have to tell me twice!" he exclaimed.

Sazh shot at the being. Snow went to assist him. He punched the drill a few times before Sazh finished it off. The creature roared in pain.

"Now's our chance!" Lightning charged at Anima and attacked it with all of her might. Nero performed a Streak to damage the fal'Cie. Snow jumped in the air and kicked the creature. Nero jumped back and sent some bullets toward the creature.

Suddenly, in a flash of light, two more drills appeared. Lightning and Snow did not notice them. Nero quickly used his Grim Grip to snatch both of them.

"Great! This thing can regenerate!" Sazh complained.

Nero examined it. He could easily tell that another barrage like that would kill it. However, he was running out of bullets. And there was also the Sanctum trying to kill them outside. "Let's end this!"

A blue glow illuminated the room. Everyone turned to Nero, to see a huge monster behind him.

"What is that?" Sazh screamed.

The devil hunter looked at him with his red eyes. "Time to show what this devil is made off!" he stated in a distorted voice.

He revved his Red Queen, glowing with both fire and demonic energy. The demon soul reached for the spectral O-Katana on its scabbard. Nero swiped his sword. A huge wave of energy cut the drills clean in two. The demon soul looked directly at the fal'Cie. It quickly drew out its sword and launched a demonic wave of energy. The crystal on its chest instantly cracked. It gave out a painful roar as light engulfed the whole room.

When everyone could see again, they were surprised to see that they were floating in the air.

Lightning looked around. "Where are we?" The sounds of bells ringing made everyone look up.

"Where's that sound coming from?" Snow asked.

As if in response to his question, two beams were sent to the crystal that floated above them. From the darkness, a huge robotic being appeared. It had metal horns, and a part of its face was covered. Its torso had purple circular lights coming from it, and metal coils surrounding its legs and arms. Four bells hung on wires on the horns of the being. This was the God fal'Cie, Hallowed Pulse.

"What the hell?" muttered Nero.

Then suddenly, many beams latched onto the six individuals. Nero tried to break free, but it was hopeless. Then, with a mighty roar, Hallowed Pulse sent six beams to the group. Nero growled in pain as it made contact. A painful feeling overcame his right bicep above his Bringer. Finally, a huge torrent of energy sent them all falling towards the darkness.

As the light was fading, Nero saw a strange vision. It was blurry, but it looked like some kind of monster. Its silhouette could be seen as a light shined behind it.

And as quickly as it came, the vision was gone. After that, all he could see was darkness. Pure darkness.

-Fortuna-

"So let me get this straight. You think that the kid found this room, and suddenly disappeared?" asked the son of Sparda, Dante. It had been a whole week since Nero went to Fortuna to investigate their lead. Dante got impatient and decided to head out with Trish to investigate his whereabouts.

"He didn't suddenly disappear. He was transported somewhere because of the ancient mechanism in this room," answered Trish.

"How's that work? You just touch this ball of light, and boom you're somewhere else?" he asked.

"No. According to legend, Sparda used this very thing to go to another world. It was always considered a myth, but apparently this is it right here."

Dante took a good look at it. "So the kid found this thing, and now he's in another world?"

"Don't tell me you don't sense it. There was something else here. And it wasn't a demon," she stated.

"Yeah, I did sense it. It wasn't human, either. It was... something else."

There was silence. She then turned to him. "So. What're you going to do?" she asked.

He gave a heavy sigh. "Guess I've gotta go pick him up. Kid can't survive a day without me," he remarked.

"You want me to come with?" she asked.

He thought for a second. "No. I'll go it alone. Wouldn't want Lady to charge us for getting her involved. I'm pretty sure I can handle this little situation by myself." He walked slowly to the light. "Time to go see what Pop found." He entered the light and quickly flew up into the air. Red demonic aura surrounded him as he flew out of the Earth's atmosphere. "Hang on, kid! This party's about to get even CRAZIER!" he exclaimed.

-Day 14-

-Lake Bresha-

Nero jumped up from his sleep. He hated waking up like this. It always happened when he had nightmares. Every time it was the same dream. The day he lost everything. The day he lost her. Because of him...

Except something was different today. He wasn't in his room at Devil Never Cry. He was still in Cocoon.

Nero groaned as he stood up. He looked around to see that everyone else was alright.

Nero gave a sigh of relief, when he was startled by Snow's awakening. "SERAH!"

He looked around to see Nero awake. "Good morning, sleeping beauty," he greeted. Everyone began wake up at the same time. "Where the hell are we?" he asked.

Snow looked up to see the Vestige, frozen stiff. "Weren't we... just there?" he asked.

They all examined their surroundings. "This is... Lake Bresha," observed Sazh.

"Where's that?" asked Vanille.

"This place was under the railways we were in. However, it wasn't... frozen," he explained.

Nero touched the ground. "This isn't ice. It's..." He felt the floor. "Crystal?"

"We fell from up there. And the lake turned to crystal." Sazh muttered in disbelief.

Nero walked around slowly. "So let me get this straight. The fal'Cie turned the lake into crystal, and it transported us here. How?" he asked.

"How should I know? I'm just as confused as you," Lightning answered.

"It was Serah!" They all turned to Snow. "Nobody survives a fall like that without a miracle. Serah saved us! I know it!"

Lightning became angry. "It's your fault that she-"

"Look out!" She turned to see Nero fire at a Cie'th that was behind her.

More of them began to surround the group. One of them was heading for a defenseless Vanille, but Snow intervened. He blocked it with his arms, and pushed it back. He was about to punch it, but during the swing his arm shined with a blue light. When he made contact, the creature was a frozen statue that broke into pieces as it fell to the ground.

Everyone turned to look at the tattoo on Snow's arm. On it was the mark that Serah had.

"What did I... just do?" he muttered.

Hope spoke up in anger and surprise. "You used magic! The power of a l'Cie. We've been cursed by the fal'Cie!" he exclaimed.

Nero saw the group of Cie'th that was approaching. "Well, if he could do it, then so can I!" He lifted his demon hand and pointed it at the monsters. He didn't know why, but he felt a surge of energy overcome him. The next second, he launched a flaming ball towards the monsters, instantly incinerating them.

Nero gave a whistle. "This is a curse I can live with," he said.

Everyone looked at each other. "So... we really are l'Cie," stated Snow.

"Looks that way," Sazh added. His mark could be seen under his black shirt. It was in the middle of his chest.

Nero looked at Vanille. "What about you?" She lifted her skirt a bit to show them. Nero quickly looked away to not look like a pervert.

Everyone looked at the half-demon. He lifted up his right sleeve, and there it was. Right above his Devil Bringer was his l'Cie mark.

"What about you, girly?" he asked the former soldier. She pointed at her left breast. "Okay, okay! Don't show us more than we need to see! There are kids here after all," he muttered.

Lightning sighed heavily. "L'Cie to the last," she muttered.

Hope fell to his knees. "Why? Why did this have to happen? You guys just had to attack that thing!" He turned to Snow. "It's your- It's your fault- If it wasn't for you and Serah, none of this would've happened!"

This angered Snow. "What'd you say?" It took every fiber of his being to stop himself from hurting him.

Everyone stopped when a gunshot was heard. They turned to Nero, who had Blue Rose pointed upwards.

"Okay, it's obvious that we are in a very sticky situation. However, screaming and fighting with each other is only gonna get us all killed. So the only way we're gonna have a chance of surviving this ordeal, is if we stick together."

He then turned to Hope. "So, can I trust you to keep your cool, and watch your mouth?" he asked.

Hope slowly looked at him. "Y- yes."

Nero smiled. "Good." He began walking. "Now are we gonna stand here and twiddle, or are we gonna get going?" Everyone began to follow him.

After a while of walking, the group took a break. "So how do we complete our Focus, if we don't know it?" asked Lightning.

Vanille spoke up. "I don't know... but I think I saw it."

Nero looked at her. "Saw it? How?"

Sazh spoke up. "That is how a Focus works. The fal'Cie doesn't tell you anything about it. All you get is one hazy image." Everyone looked at him. He took a few steps back. "At least that's what the legends say. Nothing but legends," he continuously muttered.

"Legends. Riight," muttered Nero.

Lightning looked at the boy. "What did you see?" she asked.

Hope was thinking. "It was kind of foggy... I saw a huge- No, towering. I saw a towering-"

"Monster..." finished Nero. Their eyes met each other. It then dawned on him. "Now wait just a damn minute. You mean we all saw the same dream? How is that possible?"

"It could only mean that we all have the same Focus," answered Sazh.

Everyone spoke simultaneously. "Ragnarok."

Everyone was silent. "So Ragnarok has something to do with our Focus?" asked Hope.

"Yeah. What we do from there is the tricky part," explained Vanille.

Sazh has a worried expression on his face. "We're Pulse l'Cie. Then that means... Are we supposed to-"

Snow cut him off. "Of course not. Our Focus is to save Cocoon!"

Nero raised an eyebrow. "Really? Why do you think that?"

"Serah told us! We were marked by the same fal'Cie!" he explained.

"Next thing you know, he'll say he knows our Focus," muttered Lightning.

"I have a theory. It has something to do with Ragnarok, right? We fight it! We stop Ragnarok from destroying Cocoon. It makes sense, doesn't it?"

Sazh was a bit on edge. "There are two problems with that. One. WE'RE IN THE MIDDLE OF NOWHERE!" Sazh's voice echoed throughout the lake. "Two. The fal'Cie was from Pulse. And in case you forgot, we were recruited by it! If I was a gambling man... I'd put us on Team Pulse."

Nero patted his back. "Then it's a good thing you don't gamble, eh Sazhy boy?" Nero cheerfully remarked. Sazh only gave a sigh in defeat.

Snow turned to Lightning. "Look, if we work together, we can complete our Focu-"

He stopped when Lightning's sword was on his throat. "That fal'Cie took Serah, and you want to help it? Do you know what you're saying? Who's side are you on?" Suddenly PSICOM soldiers surrounded them.

"Don't move! Put your hands behind your heads!" the leader ordered. The group reluctantly did so.

"Anyone else think that Sazh gave us away?" Nero asked out loud. Sazh only groaned.

"Let me guess. Deportees who survived falling off the train?" he asked.

Lightning looked away. "Maybe," she answered.

This angered the soldier. "You dare talk back to a PSICOM sergeant?" he asked while pointing his gun at her.

"Hey! Don't you know it's rude to point a gun at a lady?" asked the half-demon.

"S-s-s-shut up! Those kind of smartass remarks can get you killed. So shut it, before I decide to put a bullet through your head!" warned the soldier.

"Great. Another guy who wants to kill me because of the way I t-t-t-talk," he mocked.

He pointed his gun at devil hunter. "What was that?"

"Say. That's a nice gun." He didn't have time to react as Lightning knocked the gun off of his hand. She instantly shot him and two other soldiers. Nero and Sazh shot the other soldiers while they were shooting at her.

"Man, these guys seriously suck," remarked Nero.

"These guys are just a bunch rookies swinging overpriced toys. They have no real experience on the field," explained Snow.

"PSICOM's elites are nothing like these grunts. They're cold blooded beasts. If they hit the field, we're done for," she explained.

"Then, what do we do?" asked Hope.

Vanille walked up. "Let's run away! Ciao!" She quickly began heading towards the opposite way.

Nero was really confused. "Hey! Wait up! How someone can be this happy at a time like this, I'll never know," he muttered.

After another while of walking, the group stopped when Lightning stopped. They turned their heads to see the crystallized body of Serah. Everyone ran to her.

Snow got a nearby pole and began to dig around it. "Don't worry, Serah. I'll get you out," he assured. Vanille walked up with another smaller pole. She started digging as well.

Nero looked at his Bringer. "Let's see if this stupid arm is good for digging." He started digging through the crystal. They were joined by Sazh and Hope.

They were too busy digging, they didn't notice Lightning walking away. Nero was the first to notice. "You're leaving? But she's your sister!" he exclaimed.

"If we stay here, PSICOM will find us. We have to get a move on, while we're still ahead. Serah wouldn't want that. You wouldn't know how she feels," she explained.

"If I just leave her here, I'll never know," Snow shot back. "I'll protect Serah. I'll save everyone!" he exclaimed.

This earned him a hard punch from the soldier. "You couldn't protect her!" she exclaimed.

"I can save her!" Another punch went his way.

"What can someone like you do?" she furiously asked.

"Whatever it takes!" he shot back.

Everyone expected her to punch him again, but she stood there. Those words got her hard.

Nero had enough. "Y'know what? Screw this!" He walked up to her. "Admit it. You want to stay here just as much as Snow does; you just don't want to say it. Why, I don't know. And honestly? I don't give a fuck! All I know is that if this keeps up, we might as well be dead!" Nero simply walked away in anger. No one said a word.

Ch. 9: Eidolons

The newly branded l'Cie decide to escape the crystallized lake, leaving Snow to save Serah. As they make their escape, soldiers and infighting force the group to separate. Though he leaves at first, Nero reluctantly decides to chase the boy and soldier, only to find a large white knight attacking them. The thunder Eidolon, Odin.


	10. Eidolons

**Capcom and Square-Enix own DMC and FFXIII respectively.**

Lake Bresha- Eidolons

A few minutes had passed since Nero had walked away, so he decided to go back. What confused everyone was that he had been balancing a metal ball with his finger.

"What's that?" asked Sazh.

He looked at him. "Yeah... Remember that huge mech we fought at the train?"

Sazh raised an eyebrow. "Yeah. What about it?" he asked.

"Well, that thing didn't die, and it tried to get to drop on me. And well, you see what happened to it."

Everyone looked at him. "What? I don't like bein' disturbed when I'm pissed," he explained. He threw the ball into the air and kicked it. It flew away very fast.

"Doesn't that hurt?" asked Hope.

"If someone like you did it, then yeah. Us half-demons have better physical bodies," he explained.

He looked at Snow, who was still trying to get Serah out, and then to Lightning, who was still doing nothing.

"Any luck?" he asked.

"No, nothing we do is working," replied Vanille. He only gave a sigh in response.

After few minutes later, Lightning began walking away. Snow tried to reason with her. "You're seriously leaving? She's your sister!" he exclaimed.

Sazh spoke up. "Look, we really want to help, we really do. But we don't have any tools, and the Sanctum breathin' down our necks isn't helping either. We've got to move for now. Just for now," he explained.

He was still hesitant. "So we run and leave her? No! I won't do that! I will get her-"

"What about our Focus?" He turned to Lightning. "You promised Serah that you would save Cocoon. You wanted us to band together, and now you just want to die right here?" She began to walk away again. "You're all talk, Snow," she remarked.

She stopped walking when Snow called to her. They both had their backs to each other. "Lightning... I promise you... I will protect Cocoon and Serah. I will complete our Focus. I'll do whatever it takes if I have to."

She simply kept looking forward. "Yeah, great job so far," she sarcastically remarked.

Sazh walked up to him. "Make sure everyone stays out of trouble," requested Snow.

"Yeah. You too," replied Sazh. He walked after Lightning. Only Nero, Hope, and Vanille were left.

He gestured to them. "Get a move on," he ordered kindly.

Vanille looked at him. "See you later," he said. She nodded in agreement.

Nero was walking past him, when he stopped him. "Hey, I never got the chance to thank you."

"For what?" he asked.

"For saving me and Serah back in Bodhum. If it wasn't for you, I probably wouldn't be here."

Nero took in what he had just said. He then began chuckling to himself. "Don't worry. It's fine." He looked at the crystal Serah. "If that legend is true, then that means she's not dead. So if you're lucky enough, she'll come back to you. This is a once in a lifetime opportunity. You can get her back. So don't die until then." Snow nodded in response. He patted his shoulder before walking away.

Hope was walking past him, but quickly ran back to face him. "Listen, Snow- I..."

"It can wait for next time, kiddo. You've gotta catch up to Light," he replied.

Hope was still hesitant. "But..."

"Look, we'll meet again. Trust me," he assured.

Hope looked up and nodded. When he was catching up to the others he muttered to himself. "We will meet again. You can count on it."

30 minutes had passed since everyone left. Snow continued to dig Serah out. He didn't even stop for the ships that had just spotted him. He continued to ignore them until he turned to them. "Are you guys going to just float there, or are you gonna help me?" he asked.

In response, soldiers flew down with their guns ready to fire. "Commencing clean-up protocol!" the leader ordered.

Snow only looked at them. "Clean up? Let me help!" he exclaimed.

He launched the pole he used at them, taking down two of them. One of them turned around, only to have Snow pounce on him, easily taking him out. Snow then charged at another soldier, and quickly slugged him. Since he became a l'Cie, he noticed that he was more agile. The mark had given him a physical enhancement, and he was all in for using it.

However, that didn't mean he was invincible. He took down a good number of them, when he collapsed. He was exhausted by the bullets that pierced him. Normally, he would be dead, but l'Cie have better physical builds. 'I wonder if this is how Nero feels when he gets shot,' he thought.

The soldiers were closing in. "No. I- I won't- let it end like this... I will protect... Cocoon!"

Suddenly, his mark began to glow in a blue light. Then a huge sphere of blue light floated above him. The sphere had strange markings surrounding it. It then exploded in a blue light. When it gave in, Snow looked up to see the soldiers dispatched. What startled him were the two huge creatures in front of him. He looked at them in awe.

"What's going on?" he muttered. Then they turned to face him. They had a floating wheel spinning in the air. It was then launched towards Snow, much to his surprise.

"Oh shit."

-Bresha Ruins-

"Couldn't we have just taken them out?" asked the half-demon.

"If we did, we would've attracted more attention. You want to take on the entire Sanctum army?" replied Lightning.

After leaving Snow, the group came across some ruins which were used by the army as a base. The place was huge, so they were able to sneak around the compound, much to Nero's disappointment.

"At least we outran them," replied the happy Vanille.

"Seriously, how're you so happy?" asked Nero.

"When I smile, my bad feelings go away," she replied.

"You have bad feelings?" asked the surprised Nero.

Vanille looked forward, completely ignoring Nero. "Look, red crystal," she said in awe.

Hope looked at it. "What the fuck? How can fire turn into-" He stopped when Nero slapped the back of his head. "OW! What was that for?"

Nero narrowed his eyes at him. "I don't want to hear you cuss in front of ladies ever again!"

"But you say that stuff all the time!" he protested.

"You're still a kid, while I'm old enough to say stuff like that! For every bad word I hear, you get a slap, got it?" Hope groaned in disappointment.

"Hey, check this out!" called Vanille. Everyone looked towards her to see a huge ship.

Nero whistled. "How much horsepower do you think this baby's got?" he asked.

Vanille jumped in joy. "This will surely get us out of here!"

Sazh only scoffed. "Knowing our crazy luck, it'll probably be missing an engine," he remarked.

She turned to him. "Y'know, you shouldn't be so negative."

"You shouldn't get your hopes up." he shot back.

Nero looked back to see Lightning had not moved. "What's up?" he asked.

She looked at him, as if getting off of a trance. "Nothing," she replied. As everyone boarded the ship, a lone owl flew away from its perch.

"Everyone buckled up? This thing's about to go fast, so hang on to your seats," warned Sazh.

The engines roared as the ship was started. Everyone was pushed back by the force of the take-off. They headed straight for the opening in the cave's ceiling. It wasn't long before they were chased by other ships.

As they were getting out of the cave, ships were already waiting to ambush them. Laser beams were heading their way. The ship began to shake as some lasers hit them.

"Move!" the soldier ordered as she went to the ship's controls. She pushed a button which fired bullets at a ship, giving them enough room to fly past them.

Vanille looked up. "Did we get them?"

"No, we got only one." Lightning replied.

"They're still behind us!" cried Hope. The ship dodged building after building as it tried to escape.

Nero got frustrated as Lightning and Sazh were fighting for the controls. He went to the soldier and pushed her back to her seat. "What're you doing?"

"No one likes a backseat driver!" he replied.

"How do we lose them?" asked Hope.

"Hang on!" ordered Sazh. They went flying fast through a crevasse as they headed for a blinding light. When they emerged, the sky and a huge floating structure were all that they could see. It looked like a city.

"Whoa," was Nero's only word. The silence was interrupted, as more bullets were fired at them.

"We'll lose them there," exclaimed Sazh. They flew down to a rocky terrain over a river. The ships flew towards a huge hole that was collapsing because of the enemy gunfire. The group's ship was able to get through just in time. They had finally lost them. "All right everyone, we can take a breather," assured Sazh.

"Let's see what's on T.V. Maybe they'll put on some of that Looney Tunes you was taking about earlier, Nero," he called.

"Don't count on it," was his reply. A news broadcast was on.

**"And now, an update on the status of the Purge. Just moments ago, the Sanctum announced the successful conclusion of the Purge, along with the safe arrival of the Cocoon migrants to their new homes on Pulse."**

"What the fuck? No they didn't! They're all dead!" the devil hunter exclaimed.

"That's the Sanctum for you. Just a bunch of lies and propaganda," explained Sazh. Then, an old man in weird attire appeared on the screen.

**"Yes that is correct. There's no denying the enormity of the strain the Purge placed on us all. But, given the tens of millions of lives at stake, there truly was no alternative."**

**"Primarch Dysley stood by his decision, stressing the necessity of the move. When asked about the possibilities of future Purges, the Primarch remained noncommittal stating that he'd seek council with the fal'Cie Eden and weigh in all options before making a decision."**

Sazh only scoffed. "Yeah. As long as it doesn't make the Sanctum look bad," he remarked. Vanille and Nero kept watching the broadcast.

**"In all the centuries since the War of Transgression, Cocoon has been spared Pulse aggression, and prospered for it. It is essential that we maintain this peace. That is the Sanctum's focus. We will continue employing every resource available to combat these threats to the harmony of our society."**

"That means we'll be running for the rest of our lives," remarked Sazh.

Vanille looked up. "Say Sazh, who's this guy?" she asked.

He gave a heavy sigh. "That's Galenth Dysley. The Sanctum's Primarch... Murderer-In-Chief," he answered.

"Another tool of the fal'Cie," Lightning added.

"The Sanctum's big boss, eh?" muttered Nero. He couldn't help it, but there was something familiar about this man. Not because of the way he looked, but rather his voice.

He decided to shrug it off. While he sat there, he took out the Perfect Amulet around his neck. He stared at it, reminiscing about his lost loved one.

"Hey, that's a pretty necklace." He looked up to see Vanille looking at him.

He smiled at her. "Yeah, it is isn't it?" he replied. This got everyone's attention, except Sazh kept his eyes ahead.

"I've never seen a crystal like that," said Hope.

"It was a gift from a friend," he explained.

"A girlfriend?" asked Vanille in teasing tone. This gave Nero a sad look in his eyes.

"No. It was from my boss. You can call it my "welcome to work" present," he explained.

"What kind of boss gives their employees gifts?" asked Lightning.

"It's special to both of us. You see, this necklace belonged to his brother. It's a family heirloom," he explained.

"Why would he give away something special like that?" asked Sazh.

"Actually, he wanted me to talk to him about it. My last mission was to find him. But I ended up in this place. I have to see him again. There something I want to say to him. He- He has to pay," he said with a scowl.

They all looked at him with a confused look. They didn't get a chance to ask him what that meant, for PSICOM ships were on their tail again.

As they kept going, they came across the Sanctum fal'Cie, Phoenix.

"A Sanctum fal'Cie in the flesh," muttered Sazh.

Then Lightning got an idea. "Go to it. We'll lose them there," she ordered.

Sazh didn't hesitate to follow that order. They were able to fly through the beams of light, while some of the other ships didn't. "I think I like this fal'Cie!" blurted the afro man.

Suddenly, the ship jerked. An engine was zapped by the fal'Cie. "I hate all fal'Cie!" cried Nero. They all screamed as the ship fell to the rocky terrain below.

-Vile Peaks-

The Vile Peaks were silent. The only sound heard was that of footsteps. A lone man was walking in the canyon. Normally, someone in his position would be scared for his life. The Sanctum was after him. They wanted him alive, but it wouldn't concern them if he was dead. But he didn't care. They couldn't stop him. No one could.

However, he stopped when he felt a strange presence. He shifted his view upwards. In the distance, he could see that a PSICOM cruiser was crash landing into the canyon. Normally, he would have ignored it. But he felt six powerful auras coming for it. They belonged to six l'Cie. Pulse l'Cie at that. However, one of them had something- different. It was something he was all too familiar with. Demonic power.

He gripped the weapon on his left hand and began walking towards that direction.

Everyone regained consciousness to see they were outside of their totaled ship.

"Anyone get the number of that fal'Cie?" muttered Nero.

He, Vanille, and Sazh were sitting on the ground. "Glad that's over," she muttered.

Lightning instantly began walking off. "What, no breaks? We're not soldiers like you. We don't have good stamina," complained Sazh.

"Well you've got enough to complain," she shot back. She continued to walked off.

"Fine! Forget it!" he shouted.

Nero was laying down relaxing. He looked up at Hope. He could instantly tell he wanted to go with her. "Look kid, your chances of surviving are better if you stick with her. Hurry up if you wanna catch up."

Hope looked at him. He nodded at him before running after her.

After two minutes, Vanille got up. "C'mon, let's go," she urged.

"Go where? Everyone in Cocoon is against us. It doesn't matter how far we run, there ain't no escape. Even if we escaped the Sanctum, there's still no beating the Cie'th clock."

Nero got up. "Sazh, you give up too easily."

"I ain't giving up. There are just some things you just can't change. Kids like you wouldn't understand."

Vanille looked at him. "Yeah, I'm a kid. I don't understand," she said in a taunting tone.

Nero was growling. "But I'm not a kid!"

"Well, c'mon . Let's go be fugitives together," the afro man stated.

Vanille quickly got behind them and pushed them forward.

"Okay, you've got to stop pushing people. I can walk, you know!" Nero complained.

They were going to follow Hope, when a huge engine rolled down and destroyed the bridge.

"Damn. No use going through there," Nero muttered.

Sazh turned around. "Looks like we can climb that there," he observed.

"Ladies first!" stated Vanille as she went up. Nero could only sigh.

Nero and Sazh helped her up. When they looked up they both blushed. "Whoa!" They both looked away quickly.

Vanille looked at them. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing!" they both replied. As she looked forward, Nero whispered to Sazh. "This never leaves our mouths."

"Agreed."

After a while they came across a machine being manned by a worker. Nero quickly knocked him out, to ensure that they weren't detected.

"Why do you always use your fists?" asked a baffled Sazh.

"It's the only way I do things," he explained.

They all looked at the machine. "That's strange. Never seen something like this before," Sazh muttered.

He pulled a lever and watched it work. A huge cable latched onto a huge piece of metal. It pulled it towards them, which freaked Sazh out. "Hey, hey, hey, hey! Stop! Stop!" It did.

Nero and Vanille stared at him. "I knew that would happen," he bragged.

Nero rolled his eyes. "Riight."

After a while of waking, they came upon a huge cliff. Sitting there all alone was the boy called Hope. They walked to him.

"Hey, what're you doing here all alone?" asked Vanille. He looked down.

"She- she left me," he muttered.

This angered Nero. "She what? And here I thought her heart couldn't get any colder!" he exclaimed.

He tried to pat the boy's back, but Hope pushed him away. "This is pointless! I can't keep up, and I can't get home. Now that Mom's gone... I'm done for," he lamented. "I wasn't supposed to be there. I didn't live in Bodhum. Me and Mom were from Palumpolum. We only got Purged because we were there. And Snow... He used her! And now Mom's..."

Nero could only look at him. He gave a sigh. "Cheer up, kid. Don't you have a dad waiting for you?" he asked.

Hope only scoffed. "He doesn't care, and neither should I!"

"Any father cares about his sons..."

They all turned to Sazh. "What?" He brushed it off as he activated another machine, creating a new path.

"Nothing. Look, there's still time to get you home. Your dad will be happy to see you, trust me," he assured.

With Nero's help, everyone was able to climb the cliff. After a while of walking and a couple of fights with workers, they made it to a platform. Suddenly, a noise from above startled them. Out of the sky came the former soldier, Lightning.

"Hey! Look who decided to join the party," exclaimed Sazh.

"Did you miss us?" asked Vanille. She simply scoffed as she continued walking.

Nero groaned and began to mock her. "OMG! You guys are okay! I'm sorry I left you guys. It won't happen ever again! WOULD IT KILL YOU TO SMILE?" he exclaimed.

They followed her to a ship that was partly submerged in a huge pond.

"Is this a Pulse ship?" asked the girl.

"Yeah, what's left of it," explained Sazh.

She examined it. "They actually made it that far?"

"Nope. They only damaged the rim, but then the fal'Cie pushed them back," Hope explained.

She nodded in understanding. "I'm guessing you slept through history class," Sazh assumed.

Vanille only giggled to herself. "Kinda."

The group was able to convince Lightning to take a break with them. Hope and Vanille were getting water while Nero, Sazh, and Lightning were having a conversation on top of the ship's remains.

"There's no such thing as a future for us l'Cie, huh?" asked Sazh.

"It's hard to see a happy ending at the end of this road," replied Lightning.

Nero was polishing his Blue Rose, when he suddenly stiffened. He looked out into the distance. He had a surprised look. "It can't be-"

The soldier noticed this. "What's wrong?"

He kept looking in that direction. "Nothing," was his answer.

"Man. We don't even know where to go," Sazh muttered.

"Well I do. Up there." She pointed upward at the huge white city.

"Whoa. I didn't even see that before," admitted the half-demon.

"Eden? The Sanctum capital? Yeah, just go up there and show them some l'Cie terror!" Sazh laughed. He stopped when he saw that Lightning wasn't laughing. It dawned on him. "Wait, you're serious about that?"

She kept looking up. "If we keep running, chances are we'll die or turn Cie'th. The Sanctum wants us dead. I say we take the fight to their door!" she explained. Hope and Vanille showed up.

"You've got to be kidding," Nero stated.

"No. This all started because of a fal'Cie. It took Serah, and now I'm a l'Cie. Now the Sanctum wants to kill us. But a fal'Cie is pulling their strings. Eden. It probably ordered the Purge as well. All fal'Cie are the same. And to them, we're all expendable. I refuse to die as a fal'Cie slave," she explained.

"So what? You're gonna destroy Eden? Even if you do pull it off, what'll that get you? Satisfaction? If you kill Eden, it means the end for Cocoon!" That's when it hit him. "You want that to happen! You're a Pulse l'Cie now, so you just want to destroy Cocoon!" he accused.

Vanille protested. "What about Serah? She told us to save Cocoon. It might even be our Focus to-"

"Our Focus doesn't matter! The fal'Cie does not tell me how I live. That's up to me."

"And how you live involves pushing everything away?" She looked at Nero. "Serah told us to save Cocoon, and now you want to turn your back on that? Is it really that easy for you to look away from the important things?" he asked.

"You don't know a damn thing about me. You don't know what's important to me!"

"Serah was important to you, wasn't she?" This quickly silenced her. "You didn't want to help Snow, you left Hope alone. Why do you always turn your back on the people who are trying to help you?" he exclaimed.

Lightning punched him in the face. "You don't know anything! What could you possibly know? You, a demon! You don't know anything about how a human feels!"

He didn't look at her. "That's where you're wrong. I'm a half-demon who was born a human. I know exactly what a human feels. And everything you've done? It's exactly what a demon in my world would do." That statement caught her off guard. "Do what you want. I don't care anymore. Tell Snow I said hi, when he stops you." He simply walked to the edge, not even looking at them.

She sighed. "Look, I'm only after the Sanctum. I don't want to destroy Cocoon. Please. Don't stop me." She walked away from the group. She glanced at Nero, but he didn't look back. Eventually, she was out of sight. Nobody spoke.

Then Hope did. "It's all Snow's fault. He has to pay!" He ran after her.

Only Sazh, Vanille, and Nero were left. "I don't know what to do," muttered Vanille.

"That makes two of us," replied Sazh.

"Three of us," added Nero.

She instantly smiled and patted both of them in the back, almost sending them falling. "You guys are taking care of me!" she warned.

Nero could only laugh. "Not if you keep pushing me like that!"

"C'mon. Let's go catch up," urged Sazh.

They followed the same path until they could see smoke from the distance. "Already?" asked Nero.

"Where's this road headed?" Vanille asked.

"It leads to Palumpolum, Hope's hometown. It'll take them a couple of hours to get there. That is if the army doesn't get to them first," explained Sazh. They just stood there.

"So what do we do now? " asked Vanille.

"Well, I don't know. The best option right now is to-"

"Run?" Vanille finished.

Sazh thought. "You're right. I mean it's not like she needs any help, right?"

They both started walking, but Nero stood there. "You coming?" he asked.

He turned to them. "Sorry, I can't. I promised Hope's mom I would make sure he got home. If I ran away, I'd be breaking my promise," he explained. He walked up to them. "Look, I can easily get past the fire and catch up. Sazh, I need you to take care of Vanille. If Lightning's going after the Sanctum, that means she'll have their attention. This'll give you two enough time to get away. Can I trust you to do this?" he asked.

Sazh nodded. "You can count on me. You take care of yourself, you hear?"

He nodded and turned to Vanille. "You be a good girl while I'm gone, okay? Try not to give Sazhy boy a hard time," he requested.

She nodded and quickly hugged him. "Be safe."

He returned the hug and nodded. "I'll be fine. See you guys later." He turned and ran towards the two other l'Cie.

Lightning and Hope were walking on a bridge. Hope had managed to show her some of his skills, which managed to convince her to let him stay. However, he was getting tired very quickly. This made itself clear when he tripped on the bridge. She groaned in annoyance.

"This isn't working."

He looked up at her. "What?"

"You're a liability," she explained. "You'll just slow me down. I can't protect you when-" She suddenly gripped her chest in pain.

"You can't just leave me here! Take me with you!" he pleaded.

"No! Everyone in Cocoon wants us dead. I can barely keep myself alive. Let alone you, a helpless kid. If you want to get tough, then do it on your own!" She then began to flash in a pink light. A huge light was then shown, revealing a towering white knight. She looked up in disbelief.

"This can't be happening!" she exclaimed. She then noticed it was heading for Hope. She quickly ran towards him, just barely blocking it. However, the creature's strike was too strong, sending her to the ground. She closed her eyes as the creature was going to finish her off.

However, she opened her eyes to see Nero blocking the creature with his Devil Bringer. He pushed the creature back. She got up, with a surprised look on her eyes.

"Time to fight soldier! Cover me!" he ordered. He ran towards the knight and tried to do a Splitter. However, its shield blocked him. It slashed him in the air, sending him back.

Lightning then shot a blast of electricity at it. It didn't affect it at all. Nero rushed to it, striking it with all of his might. However, it blocked every single strike with its shield. It pushed him back with ease, sending him towards the edge. He held on for dear life.

Lightning slashed at it, but the creature's strike was strong enough to send her on her back. The creature then looked at Hope, who was on the ground backing away in fear. It raised its sword at him, ready to finish him off. Nero was still lifting himself up, when the creature was raising its sword.

"HOPE!" he called.

Lightning looked up. Her sword was a few feet away, but in that time Hope would have been killed. She had to choose.

It was about to finish him off, when Lightning rushed into its path.

Nero's eyes widened. "LIGHTNING!"

She stood there, waiting for the being's sword to finish her off. However, when she opened her eyes, she saw that the creature had stopped right before it could kill her. It slowly raised its sword again, and stabbed it into the ground. The knight then jumped into the air, where it was enveloped in light. When it subsided, a horse took its place. It stood on its hind legs, neighing as it disappeared. This left everyone dumbstruck.

Hope walked up to the weakened Lightning. "Was that your Eidolon? Like in the legends?" he asked.

"I think so," she answered.

Nero finally got on the bridge. "What's an Eidolon?" he asked.

"An Eidolon is a creature who appears when a l'Cie doesn't know what to do next. It basically tries to end your life for you," he explained.

Nero groaned. "You mean to say that something like that is going to try and kill me? Great," he complained.

Lightning glanced at him. "What are you doing here?" she asked with a scowl.

He returned the scowl. "I didn't come here for you, if that's what you're thinking. I came to make sure Hope gets home."

Hope looked at him. "What? Why do you care?" he asked in confusion.

"I promised your mom I'd get you home, remember?" the half-human replied.

Hope then looked at the soldier. "Is it true? Am I really a liability?"

Nero raised an eyebrow. "What're you talking about?"

Hope turned to him. "Before you came, Lightning was about to leave me here. She said I was dragging her down."

This angered him. "Are you fucking kidding me? You can't just leave a kid here to-"

"I'm sorry." Nero's eyes widened when he heard that. "I'm sorry for what I said before, Hope." She got up. "We'll toughen you up."

She then began to walk forward. "I'm sorry for calling you a demon," she said to Nero.

He only looked at her as she continued forward. He was speechless. Then he smiled. "So she's human after all," he muttered. He then gestured Hope to follow her.

Only 30 minutes had passed when distant sounds of thunder were heard. "Dang it. It's gonna rain. We gotta find shelter before then," stated Nero.

They were walking up a hill, hoping to find a cave from there. They found something, but it wasn't a cave.

In front of them was a field filled with crashed Sanctum ships, along with a river of blood coming from the bodies of Sanctum soldiers. All of them had at least a few missing limbs.

Hope turned around and threw up at the sick sight. Lightning was calm, but she was really shocked. Never in all her years did she see a graveyard like this. Nero, however, had a look of recognition on his face. They all slowly made their way to the field.

The timid boy spoke up in complete fear. "Who- Who could've done something like this?"

"You got me there," replied Lightning. "I've never seen anyone cut to pieces like this. Especially by something who cut them this accurately," she replied.

"Not something. Someone."

They both turned to Nero who was examining the field. "What do you mean?" asked the former soldier.

"There's only one person who could've done this. Another half-demon like me," Nero explained.

"Like you? There are other half-demons?" asked Hope.

Lightning narrowed her eyes at him. "Who then? Who did this?"

Nero could only scowl. The man responsible for this, was the man he was after. The man who took her from him. The man who had caused him so much anguish.

He had an angry tone as he said his name. "Vergil."

Ch. 10: The Battle Between Devils

Nero and Vergil duel in a heated battle of devils. With Yamato in hand, Vergil pushes Nero to his limit. Who will emerge victorious in this duel by hate and rage?

**Please Review!**


	11. The Battle Between Devils

**Capcom and Square-Enix own DMC and FFXIII respectively. AN: You might want to put Vergil Battle 1 theme for the fight. Might give it a more epic feel. If not, oh well. Now, the moment we've all been waiting for.**

Vile Peaks- The Battle Between Devils

Thunder enveloped the Vile Peaks. In one of its many plateaus, a huge graveyard of ships and corpses stood there. In the middle of that huge mess, stood three people. Two of them looked at the one who had his back to them.

"Vergil?" asked Lightning. "You mean just one man was able to kill an entire battalion of Sanctum soldiers, single-handedly?" she asked. They were scavenging the bodies to get supplies, much to Hope's dismay.

"Yeah, except that "man" is a half-demon who wouldn't hesitate to kill you," he explained.

Hope silently sat down on a nearby rock. He was very scared at this point. The corpses around him didn't help out either.

Suddenly, the sound of engine turbines caught their attention. A squadron of five PSICOM ships were flying towards them.

"PSICOM's elites... Both of you get down!" she ordered.

They all got behind the rock Hope was sitting on, and watched as the ships flew by them. They all sighed in relief, as they remained undetected. However, they all had curious looks as, they saw the squadron get into a circular formation. Suddenly, they began firing their arsenal at the center of the formation.

A few seconds later, a wave of energy cut right through one of the ships, instantly destroying it. The squadron then began to fire missles at their target. Two of the missles were destroyed by the target, along with two more ships. The last two ships began firing lasers at the target. The target must have gotten on one of the ships, because the other ship had fired its laser at it. As the ship slowly fell, a bright wave of energy cut the other cruiser in half. An entire PSICOM elite squadron was destroyed by a single person.

Everyone except Nero's eyes widened at the sight. "Now I know where you are," he scowled.

Hope began to panic. "That guy destroyed a whole squadron! We've got to get out of here!"

Lightning turned to him. "Calm down! You'll give us away!" she scolded.

"What's the point?" he shot back. "The Sanctum's going to kill us, or this Vergil guy. We're fucking finished!"

Nero walked up to him, and slapped him. "Hope, snap out of it! You don't need to worry about Vergil. You just worry about keeping yourself calm. If you fall into despair, people are going to take advantage of your situation. And soon, you'll end up dead. It's harsh, but it's true. You have to keep cool. That's the only way you're going to get out of this alive. Okay?"

Hope looked at him. It took him a few seconds, until he finally nodded. "Are you calm?" asked Nero.

"Yes," replied Hope.

Then Nero slapped him again. "OW! What was that for?" asked a baffled and hurting Hope.

"That's for cussing," he replied. The boy groaned in disappointment.

He looked at Lightning. "Listen, take care of Hope for me will you?" He began to walk off.

"Where do you think you're going?" she asked.

"I'm going to settle a score," he replied with a scowl.

She stopped him. "Look. If you're going after this Vergil guy, then you should-"

"NO!" He exclaimed as he turned to her. He had an expression of anger and hatred on his face. "This is something I have to do. You'll just get in the way. So STAY HERE!" he ordered.

She was about to protest, but he was already walking away. They only stood there, not knowing what to do next.

It had been forty minutes since the former knight left the other two l'Cie. It was raining hard, but Nero kept on walking. He didn't blink as drops of rain fell on his face as he walked. Nero stopped when he felt a presence a few feet away. It was him.

He took a breather before the oncoming battle. While reloading Blue Rose, he heard a noise behind a rock. He stared at it as he put the cylinder back in his gun's place. He heard another noise come from it. He instantly used his Bringer to destroy the noisy rock. When the smoke cleared, two people were crouching on the ground. They were Lightning and Hope.

"H- Hi there," greeted Hope in a nervous tone.

Nero was instantly irritated. "What the hell are you two doing here? I told you guys to get away!" he scolded.

Lightning rose up. "This is the only way out of the Peaks. And did you really think we'd let you take this guy on?" she replied.

"You don't get it," he answered. "You can't fight him. He'll cut you up in seconds. Everything you've learned as a soldier could never prepare you for him. Plus, this is my fight. I have to deal with him." He then paused. "Only then, can I finally rest," he explained.

He was walking off, until Lightning cut him off. "We can't just turn back. The Sanctum's behind us, and the only way to Eden is this way. We couldn't leave even if we wanted to," she reasoned.

Nero then furrowed his eyes in thought. He groaned in annoyance. He hated when he was wrong.

He examined a thorough path that could be scaled and gestured it to them. "You guys can climb that to get around. Hurry up and get out of here. It's about to get loud," he warned.

He then turned to Hope and patted his head. "Get home, kid. You might not believe it, but your dad's worried about you." He began to walk off again. "Don't wait for me," he called.

Hope's eyes widened, for he instantly realized what that meant. They only watched as he walked away. Neither said anything to him.

Lightning helped Hope climb up. They were following the path, until Hope went towards another direction. "Where are you going?" she asked.

"I want to see if he needs our help," he replied.

As he was going, a smirk came across her face. She quickly caught up to him and scouted ahead. She stopped behind a rocky ledge, gesturing for Hope to follow.

"What's going on?" he asked.

She looked forward. They could see a lone figure standing there.

The rain was pouring even harder.

Nero kept walking until he saw him. He looked at him as the man had his back to him. "You've arrived, l'Cie. I could feel your aura from miles away," a monotonous voice called.

Nero stood still, unflinching. He had a calm exterior, but on the inside, he was feeling overwhelmed. He had waited so long to face him, and there he was.

The man turned around to face him. Lightning squinted her eyes to get a good look at him. He wore a blue three-tailed coat which hid a black vest, with a dark green neckerchief. He had two brown fingerless gloves and brown boots that went up to his knees. The edges of his coat had a gold outline. There was a snake-like pattern on the right side of his coat. He held an O-Katana on his left hand. He had silver hair that was swept back and spiked. His cold and calm expression startled even her. This was the son of Sparda known as Vergil.

Nero stared into his cold eyes. "To think, that of all the places I would find you, it was here on Cocoon. I've waited so long for this... Vergil," he scowled.

His expression had not changed, but his eyes had a questioning glimmer in them. "Do I know you?" he asked.

Nero only chuckled as he paced back and forth. "Probably not. But I damn well know you. After all, who could ever forget the day you got Yamato back?"

Vergil furrowed his eyes in thought, as if digging through his head for the right memory. He then looked at him again. "Ah, now I remember you. You are the boy who held Yamato during my absence," he answered. Nero clenched his teeth in anger. "What's wrong? Don't tell me you actually came all this way just to get it back?" he asked.

"SCREW THAT DAMN SWORD!" he exclaimed. "I only came for one thing. To kill you!"

Vergil still stood there, unfazed by the statement. "Is that so? Why would you want to do that? You could not defeat me before. What makes you think you can do it now?" he asked.

Nero clenched his Bringer fist. "Back then, I didn't have a reason to kill you. But you gave me the perfect reason. One year ago you took her from me... Ever since that day, I've been looking for you. Now that you're here, all that matters to me is to finally see you dead!" he exclaimed.

Vergil's expression was still the same. "If you value your life, you will watch what you say," he warned.

"You should worry about yourself, because you're about to kiss your life goodbye." He paused. "Or better yet, why don't you KISS THIS!" Nero exclaimed as he quickly pointed Blue Rose at Vergil.

No words were exchanged. The only sound heard was the sound of thunder in the sky. Nero spoke up. "'Cause either way, pal." He cocked his gun. "One of us isn't coming out of this fight alive," he threatened.

Vergil narrowed his eyes at him as he tilted his head downwards. "...You've got that right," he scowled.

Seconds passed as they stood there. Each of them stared the other down. Another clash of thunder occurred. The battle had begun.

Nero screamed as he fired torrents of bullets at Vergil. However, he flicked his thumb, lifting the hilt of Yamato. He grabbed his weapon and twirled it in a circular motion. Yamato got every bullet that was heading for Vergil.

He would have sent them back to him, but Nero was already running for him with sword at hand. They both clashed swords, swiping at each other with great fury. One second, Nero would be on the offensive. Then Vergil would parry him with quick strikes. The battle was already fierce. Nero was having trouble keeping up, but he wouldn't back down.

Hope and Lightning were watching the fight unfold behind the rock. Hope looked on as the two devils fought. Nero sent the son of Sparda back with his fiery Red Queen. "He's doing it. He's got him on the ropes!"

Lightning only kept watching. Hope wasn't a fighter, so he wouldn't know the truth. Vergil had stong strikes, but his body language showed that he was not exhausted at all. She knew that it was Vergil who had Nero on the ropes.

Nero tried to do a High Roller on him, but Vergil quickly sidestepped. He used this opportunity to swipe at his arm. Nero flew back a few feet. The rain kept pouring, as drops of blood fell to the ground.

Vergil watched as Nero got up. "Is that all? Where's your motivation?" he taunted.

Nero growled. "You want to play like that, huh? Then how's this for motivation?"

He charged at him with a Streak. The devil hunter put the Dark Slayer on the defensive as he slashed combo after combo. Vergil saw an opening and was about to take it, when he was lifted into the air by a huge spectral arm. He slashed at it and escaped its clutches.

They both dueled each other, until Vergil got the upper hand. Vergil stuck a vertical swing downwards, but was blocked by Nero's Devil Bringer. Nero then tossed him into the air. He shot at Vergil as he twirled in the air. When he got on his feet, he felt a small pain on his cheek. He touched it and on his finger was blood. A bullet had grazed his cheek.

He gave a ghost of a smile as he wiped the blood from his cheek. "Answer me something, boy. You claim to know who I am. How much do you know of me?' he asked.

Nero only scoffed. "I don't know a damn thing about you. And the name's Nero," he replied.

Vergil gave a small chuckle. "Well, Nero, have you ever been to hell?" he asked.

"Can't say that I have. Why?" he asked.

"Because I want to see what happens when a weak being like you faces hell on Earth. Will you face it without fear, or beg for mercy?" he asked.

Nero smirked. "If you're looking for a confession, you're looking in the wrong place. I already told you. Worry about yourself!"

He charged at Vergil, who was only standing there gripping the hilt of Yamato. Suddenly, Vergil was surrounded by a purple shield. Before Nero could strike, a spectral sword stabbed him in the gut. Then five more stabbed him even more. Vergil then struck him with Yamato's hilt sending him back a few feet. The next thing he knew, Vergil was right behind him sheathing his sword.

"Don't get so cocky," he remarked.

Suddenly, many streams of blood flew off Nero's body. Vergil had performed a Rapid Slash.

He fell on his knees, gasping for air. Hope looked at Nero. He wanted him to make it through this. "C'mon Nero. You can't die," he muttered.

Nero clenched his fist. He was hurting real bad, but he needed to get healed quickly. He couldn't lose to Vergil. His life literally depended on it. Suddenly, his l'Cie mark was glowing green. He then saw a bright glow of aura cover his entire body. His injuries were healed instantly.

A smirk came across his face. Nero charged elemental energy into his fist. He turned to the unsuspecting Vergil and backhanded him. Vergil groaned in pain as he rose up. He was suddenly hit with a ball of fire. Nero then had two magic spells on his hands. Fire on his left and ice on his right. He shot many blasts at the Dark Slayer, enveloping him with energy. He finally charged an electric energy on his Bringer hand and launched it towards him. The mixture of the three energies caused an explosion. Nero only smirked as he saw the smoke.

However, a blast was returned to Nero, sending him to the floor. When he looked up, he saw that Vergil was still standing there, with no bruises or burns. In fact, he was inside a circular sphere that reflected the blast he made.

"L'Cie magic is not enough to kill me, boy," he stated.

Nero was in disbelief. "No way... That was positive energy. Even your demon shield couldn't have dodged that!" he exclaimed.

"You're right. Only positive energy can cancel out positive energy," he explained. Nero had a confused look. "You mean you still don't realize it? And here I thought my ability to sense fellow l'Cie gave it away," he muttered.

Nero thought for a few seconds. Then, realization struck him. "You... You're a l'Cie like me!" he observed.

"Wrong. True, I am a l'Cie. But we are not alike. We are two different sides of the same coin," he explained. He stabbed his katana into the ground, and removed his right glove. He lifted his hand, and on its palm was a tattoo. From where Nero was standing, it looked like a bull's head. If he was closer, he would have seen that there were more details to it.

"You are a Pulse l'Cie. You are tasked with the destruction of Cocoon. I am a Sanctum l'Cie. A Sanctum l'Cie's purpose is to do the fal'Cie's bidding. The rules are basically the same," he explained.

"Really? Then you know what happens when a l'Cie fails his Focus," Nero shot back.

He simply scoffed at the statement. "I am perfectly aware of the punishment. However, that is none of my concern. I will eventually find a way to rid myself of this mark, and keep all of the power that comes with it," he explained.

"That's too bad. You'll be dead before that even happens!" exclaimed Nero.

He charged at him again. They both charged at each other. The clanging sound of swords making contact surrounded the Peaks along with the rain and thunder. As they both swiped at each other, they were unaware of the raindrops they were splitting and spreading in the air. Vergil had a face of focus, while Nero had a face of anger and determination. One thing was for certain; neither warrior would back down.

The swordplay ended when Vergil kicked Nero in the gut, sending him back a few feet. A few seconds later, all of the water in the air fell and drenched Vergil. When he looked up, he saw that Vergil's hair had dropped completely. Nero finally saw the resemblance.

"So... You really are Dante's twin," he remarked.

They both stared each other down. Nero growled to himself. He screamed as he charged at Vergil, dragging Red Queen into the ground while running. After a failed slash, he lunged at him, but was easily blocked. Vergil twirled Yamato. He then hit Nero's stomach with its hilt. Nero tried to slash at him in the air, only to be blocked again.

Nero crashed into a rock wall. He then got out Blue Rose, instantly firing a torrent of bullets at the Dark Slayer. He twirled Yamato into a circular motion. He had a good distance, so he lined the bullets up with his sword. He then slashed upwards, sending the bullets back at Nero. He quickly raised his sword and slashed at the ground, cutting all of the bullets in half.

Vergil still stood in a fighting stance as he waited for Nero to get up. "Why do you continue this pointless effort? Even you must know that this battle is meaningless. Why even bother?" he asked.

Nero chuckled to himself as he rose. "You wanna know? I'll tell you. One. I just don't like you." He then paused for a breath. "Two. You took her from me. I'm not doing this out of some selfish sense of pride. I'm doing this for KYRIE!"

He charged at Vergil and both of their swords were locked in a stalemate. Both devils looked at the others eyes. The swords began to heat because of the contact.

Vergil then began to chuckle. "Is that what this is about? You think that I killed your precious wife-to-be? Foolish boy," he remarked.

Nero's eyes widened after hearing that. This couldn't be true. That day, when he saw the markings. Only Vergil could have made such slices. If it wasn't Vergil, then who did it?

Vergil spoke up again. "However, if you're looking for someone to blame, you need only look at yourself. You did not have the power to protect her," he coldly remarked.

This greatly angered Nero. He broke the stalemate by activating his Devil Trigger, and began to continuously strike at a defensive Vergil. "DAMN YOU! DAMN YOU! DAMN YOU!"

Vergil actually needed put some effort into defending himself. "Your skills with a sword are most impressive. But your anger hinders those skills immediately," he observed. Vergil then slashed upwards as Nero slashed downwards. The next move would decide the winner.

Vergil did it. Yamato had so much force in it, that the recoil caused Nero to lose his grip on Red Queen. Seconds turned into minutes as Nero saw his sword in the air. If one looked closely, they could see the reflection of the opponents.

Nero then coughed up blood. He felt a great amount of pain on his chest. He looked down to see Yamato piercing through him. Lightning and Hope's eyes widened when they saw that. He clenched the metal with his Bringer, as he looked into Vergil's eyes.

"You have lost," he stated, "Because you do not possess the necessary power to defeat me."

Nero growled at him. "I don't care about power. I never did. As long as you're dead... As long as you die by my hand, NOTHING ELSE MATTERS!" he exclaimed.

"Foolishness, Nero!" He stabbed Yamato in even more. Nero coughed up blood.

"Foolishness," he started. "Power is the only thing that matters. Power is the reason why the Sanctum rules over these people unchecked. Power is why the strong live, and the weak die. Might controls everything. And without strength or power, how can you possibly protect anyone, or anything?" he explained. He then stabbed it even deeper. Nero grunted in pain. "Let alone yourself," he finished.

Vergil then pulled Yamato out of Nero's body. He groaned in pain as he fell backwards. However, a small glimmer blinded them. Vergil's eyes widened when he realized what it was. He quickly snatched it out of his neck. Nero reached for it with his Bringer, but a swipe from Vergil's sword stopped him. Nero fell hard to the ground.

Vergil looked at the piece of the Perfect Amulet that was now his once again. "So you had it all along," he muttered.

He stared at it, as if reminiscing a memory. Then he pulled his hair backwards, returning it to its original spiked format. He looked down at the fallen l'Cie.

"You are not worthy of Sparda's blood," he remarked as he was walking off. He walked up to the Red Queen, lifting it from the ground.

A lone growl was heard. Nero was trying to get back up. "Get... Get back here... I ain't... Done with you yet," he growled.

Suddenly, the Dark Slayer ran back to him and impaled him with his own sword. Nero coughed up blood as the sword pierced his chest. He exhaled whatever breath he had left. After that, he didn't move.

Lightning and Hope were in disbelief. Hope had his hands on his head as he was panicking to himself. "This can't be happening. This can't be happening!" he repeatedly muttered.

"Be quiet!" she ordered. However she wasn't looking at him, but at the scene. Nero, who was easily one of the strongest of the group, was easily defeated by a lone stranger.

She examined Vergil as he stood there with his eyes closed. When they opened, they were looking right at her. She instantly froze. Lightning felt something. Something she had not felt in a long time. Fear.

Ch. 11: Nero's True Power

After Nero's defeat, Lightning faces off against the Dark Slayer. Despite her agility and her new Eidolon, Vergil proves to be a formidable foe. Even as Lightning stands at the brink of defeat, a hidden rage awakens in a nearby body, ready to return to the fight.

**Review please!**

**Part 2 coming up next!**


	12. Nero's True Power

**Capcom and Square Enix own DMC and FFXIII respectively. AN: Sorry for the wait! School. What can you do? Another author's note at the end.**

Vile Peaks- Nero's True Power

The rain was rather troublesome for Sazh and Vanille. They had just managed to get out of there, when the rain started pouring. After running in the rain for a short while, they managed to find a small little cave. The duo decided that they would stop here.

"Man, it's pourin' like a faucet out here. It probably won't stop until morning," observed Sazh.

Vanille only looked at the fire he made with his newfound powers. "I wonder how Hope's doing," she wondered.

He looked at her with a reassuring smile. "Don't worry about the kid. They were heading towards Palumpolum. He's on his way home. You can bet on it," he assured.

She smiled. "Plus, he has Nero and Lightning. He'll definitely be okay!" she said.

He only gave a small chuckle. "They'll be lucky if they make it in there in one piece. It'll be hard, since all of Cocoon is on the grip of Pulse-phobia," he muttered.

Vanille looked at the ground. "It's sad. They don't even know why they're scared."

He scoffed. "More like afraid of what they _don't _know, and more afraid _to_ know even more," he explained. "C'mon, time to get some shut eye. We've got a big day tomorrow," he urged.

As he got up, Vanille had already gotten a blanket. She was spreading it across the floor, making sure it was comfortable.

"Good night!" she exclaimed as she laid down. He was suddenly startled when she got up again. She reached for a nearby stick, and made a line with it.

"What?" Sazh asked in disbelief.

"Do not cross this line, okay? Good night, again!" she stated.

"Will you just go to sleep?" he asked in an irritated tone. He slowly crouched on the ground, as he tried to rest on the cold, hard, uncomfortable ground.

Elsewhere, a great battle had been fought. Two opposing devils had dueled each other with all of their might. It looked as if they had a sick, twisted pleasure in their battle. But in reality, one of the opponents had no chance of victory. In the end, only one was left standing. The other was on the ground, surrounded by a pool of his own blood.

The battle had spectators, as well. Two runaway l'Cie saw the fight from its beginning, to the end. Both were in disbelief to see that their comrade, Nero, had fallen to the might of the son of Sparda, Vergil.

One of them, Lightning, had been looking straight at the victor, when he glanced at her. At that moment, only option came to her mind. "Run."

The boy, Hope, looked at her. "What?"

She turned to him with a hurried expression. "RUN!"

They both got up and ran to the nearest path. However, Vergil quickly flicked his thumb and unsheathed his sword, Yamato.

He quickly swiped it in the air, seemingly doing nothing. However, Yamato had the power to slice at great distances. His slash cut the cliff that Lightning and Hope were running on, instantly breaking it apart. Both of them stumbled downwards as they fell to the ground. When they looked up, they saw that Vergil was already in front of them.

"Well, what do we have here? Did you two honestly believe that I wasn't aware of your presence? You should have escaped while I was occupied with him," he said.

Hope had a fearful expression on his face, while Lightning gave a look of defiance at him. Vergil examined the boy very closely. There was something rather... familiar about him.

Lightning took this opportunity to swipe at him with her Blazefire Saber, but he easily blocked her with his scabbard. "Hope, get out of here!" she exclaimed.

He quickly followed her orders and ran behind nearby rock.

The Dark Slayer kept blocking her oncoming strikes, not even breaking a sweat as he did so. When he saw an opening, he grabbed her neck and tossed her a few feet away. "You are a human l'Cie. Even _he _couldn't defeat me. You truly are foolish to actually believe that you have a chance of equaling me," he remarked.

"Shut up!" she replied, as she fired away from her gunblade.

Vergil quickly unsheathed his sword, and blocked the bullets. "A gunblade... How disgusting," he coldly remarked.

He quickly sent them back to her. She dodged most of them, except for one that pierced her shoulder. She quickly healed herself, barely getting to a stance as he charged at her.

Both of their swords clashed at each other fiercely. However, Lightning had to resort to using magic. She blasted Fire and Blizzard at him, but he countered with Reflect.

"You obviously weren't paying attention to the previous battle. Like I said, it will take more than l'Cie magic to kill me. Especially against the magic that I possess," he explained.

"I told you to shut up!" she shot back.

She was charging at him, but Vergil concentrated on his l'Cie mark. He then sent a Dark Firaga towards her way, where it made contact. She fell to her knees, looking at him as he walked slowly towards her.

Lightning silently cursed to herself. 'I can't let it end like this. Hope doesn't stand a chance against him. Please... I need to beat him!' she mentally exclaimed.

A voice then startled her. _"Then I will lend you my power, master."_

She looked around to see where it came from, but she found nothing. Suddenly, her l'Cie mark started flashing again.

The voice spoke to her again. _"Break the crystal, and I will be yours to command,"_ it instructed.

The soldier was confused. "What crystal-" She stopped when she felt her hand go through the glowing mark. She then pulled out a crystal. It was pink, and it looked like a rose.

Lightning then remembered what the voice had told him. She tossed the crystal in the air. Lightning jumped high into the air, due to her physical enhancement of becoming a l'Cie. She swiped at the crystal, breaking it into tiny pieces. A huge summoning seal took its place. When the light disappeared, the white knight from before stood there. Lightning was somewhat startled. She thought it was going to try and kill her again.

Vergil examined the creature. "So you have possession of the Odin Eidolith, therefore making you the master of the thunder Eidolon, Odin," he observed.

Lightning looked up at the creature she summoned. "Odin?"

The knight, Odin, looked at its master. _"I am here, my master. My power is now yours to command,"_ it telepathically said. She did not know what to make of the situation, but decided to shrug it off. Lightning now had an advantage against Vergil. She was back in the game.

"Alright then. Odin! Cut us a path!"

Vergil only scoffed. "You have no knowledge of your Eidolon's abilities. You are like a child with a handgun, basically," he remarked.

"And already I told you to SHUT UP!" she shot back.

She charged at him and was able to land a few strikes, but they were blocked by his sword. However, she jumped back and avoided him. When he looked up, he saw that Odin was already swiping at him. Its attacks were swift and fast. Vergil was somewhat having trouble keeping up to the creature, due to its sword being double-edged. However, he did notice the girl trying to attack him from behind.

At the right moment, he jumped upwards to avoid Odin's sword. It made contact with Lightning, who barely managed to block it. Lightning looked up to see Vergil already charging at her. He did a Rapid Slash, but it was blocked by Odin's shield. The knight pushed him back a few feet. Odin then stabbed the sword into the ground. It then jumped in the air, and its body glowed with light. When it subsided, the horse form of Odin, Sleipnir, galloped slowly to Lightning. It took a few seconds for her to realize that it wanted her to get on. She grabbed the double-edge sword from the ground, and got on. The swords then separated into two.

"Gestalt mode? One would think this is unfair," the cold devil muttered. "But I will not give you the satisfaction."

Lightning charged with Odin at him. Her swords were enveloped with electricity, as she made contact with Yamato. He was able to roll out of the way, but he jumped backwards when Thunder spells were shot at him.

The horse jumped into the air. She twirled her swords in a circular motion, enveloping them with electricity and wind. Lightning sent two waves of Thunder and Aero at him. Vergil's quick swipes were able to stop them from making contact.

They were both a few feet away from each other. Lightning then decided to charge at him.

"The storm is here!" she exclaimed.

Vergil however, decided that enough was enough. He slid back a few feet, and gripped the hilt of Yamato. He examined the charging horse and carefully calculated his next move. From her point of view, Lightning saw that Vergil had lifted his sword three times. However, she saw that three purple orbs of energy were slicing Odin's legs. Before the horse gave out, she jumped forward, flying towards him.

Vergil also charged towards her, his hand already on the hilt. They both swiped at each other, looking straight forward. They both stood there, waiting for the results of that mortal draw. Suddenly, Lightning started feeling pain in her arms and legs. She looked to see that there were many cuts on them. Each one had blood dripping out.

One Zantetsuken was nothing compared to hundreds of Rapid Slashes.

Lightning fell on her knees, as Odin and his swords disappeared.

The Dark Slayer silently sheathed his sword, and turned to her. "It's just as I told you. You could not defeat me. The only difference between you and him was that he had a small chance of defeating me, while you had none," he coldly remarked.

Lightning slowly turned to him. She was in so much pain, that she couldn't even muster up enough energy to say something back. All she could do was give to him a look of defiance.

Vergil was walking slowly towards her, when he felt something hit his head.

He looked to his right to see the young boy, who had just tossed his boomerang at him. "Y- You... LEAVE HER ALONE!"

He charged at the son of Sparda, but he easily pushed him to the ground. Hope was slowly crawling backwards. He knew he shouldn't have gotten his attention, but he felt it was the only thing that would save Lightning.

Vergil looked at the boy. He was somewhat surprised that such a cowardly human would stand up to him. However, there was still the fact that the boy reminded him of something. He was thinking to himself, when a sharp pain consumed his back. He looked downwards to see a gunblade piercing his chest. Behind him, Lightning had stabbed her Blazefire Saber into him. He slowly fell on his knees.

Hope looked up, relieved to see that the soldier was alright. "You- You did it," he said.

"Y- Yeah..." Lightning could barely stand. Were it not for her l'Cie body, she would be dead.

A small chuckle from behind instantly froze her. She slowly turned around to see that Vergil was getting back up. He pulled out the gunblade from his chest and tossed it to the ground. "I must congratulate you, woman," he said with an icy tone. "You are the third l'Cie to actually hurt me. But you are also the first female l'Cie, as well."

Lightning couldn't move. There was one other moment she could not move. It was the moment that Serah became a crystal. At that moment, grief overcame her. This time, fear was what had stopped her. Her legs literally began to shake.

"However, I will promise you this. It won't happen again," he assured. Vergil flicked Yamato. There was rain, so nobody could see that Lightning was crying. This was it. She was going to die.

However, fate had other plans.

Nearby, a huge pillar of water had risen. Out of it, came a fast being. Vergil quickly unsheathed Yamato to stop the being from making contact. The man's left fist had charged right at Yamato, impaling it when it made contact. Some blood flew at Lightning's face. Her eyes widened, not because of the blood on her face, but from who it came from. She was shocked to see that Nero was standing right there.

Vergil only smirked. "Just as I suspected," he muttered. "Yamato only released a part of your demon blood. That is why your attacks were not effective when we fought."

He looked straight at Nero's eyes. His irises were completely red, burning with hatred and rage. "But it seems that the devil inside of you has finally awakened," he observed.

Nero growled at him. He slowly removed his hand from the sword. He then grabbed him with his Bringer and tossed him to the ground. When Vergil examined him, he saw that his Bringer had changed. Instead of its original blue color, it had become red. Nero lifted the Red Queen from the ground as he slowly walked towards him.

His voice was distorted. "On that day... I could not protect her... It was because I lacked power... You were right... I don't have the necessary power to change that," he admitted. His l'Cie mark began glowing. "But that does not mean I will lose to you. Maybe it was my fault that Kyrie died, or maybe it was yours. But that does not change who I am."

He revved the sword to its maximum level. Demonic aura began to surround it. "Even if I don't have enough power, I will use it the same way I've always done it! I will use it to protect the people I care about! I WILL PROTECT THEM ALL!"

With that, he launched a blast of energy. Vergil swiped it through the middle. However, the wave was extremely powerful. It even managed to push him back a few feet. Eventually he cut right through it. However, after a few seconds, a huge sound of rocks caving in on each other was heard. He looked over his shoulder to see that Nero's blast had sliced through a nearby mountain, instantly destroying it.

He looked at Nero again, but something behind him got his attention.

Nero was walking forward, when he heard a loud roar. He turned around to see a huge demon behind him. It had many mixtures of black, red, and blue. On its left arm was a huge scabbard that held an organic O-Katana, and a red Devil Bringer on its right arm. An incomplete black arc was on top of its head. It also had what looked like flailing skin from its waist, with a hood over its face. That's when Nero realized that his demon soul had gain physical form. An Eidolon form.

"You wanna piece of me too? WELL C'MON!"

He charged at the being where, it had swiped at him with its sword. Nero jumped over it, and shot the creature with demon-powered bullets. When it stumbled, he sent torrents of spells at it. They were all in their maximum level.

He then launched many spinning Summoned Swords at it. Each one made contact. The creature then launched blasts at him. A couple of them pierced him. It swung its Bringer at him, sending him in the air. This gave him the perfect opening.

He launched Red Queen at its chest, instantly impaling it. He then sent his fist towards his sword and punched right through it. The creature screamed in agony as it evaporated into aura. The aura then surrounded Nero, moving along with him. He walked up to the Red Queen and picked it up.

Nero then faced his opponent, who had only stood by and watched the fight unfold. "Now, where were we?" he asked.

Vergil quickly unsheathed Yamato, and pointed it straight at Nero. They both stared each other down, waiting for the other to make a move. Vergil made a move, but an unexpected one. He swiped Yamato downwards, getting any dirt or substance off of its clean steel, and slowly unsheathed it.

Only one word came from his mouth. "No."

This greatly angered Nero. "What?"

"This battle is over. You and I currently have no business with each other. For now," he explained.

He then turned his back on him, and began to walk off.

"Oh no you don't! I've waited a long time for this! You can't just say that, and walk away!" he shouted. The Dark Slayer made no signs that he had heard him.

Nero would not have this. He charged at him, shouting a battle cry as he did so. He was near Vergil, when a force of energy had pushed him back. Instead of Vergil, he saw a demon with blue demon skin. It had a flailing demon coat, with a blue crack on its chest. The head showed a bit of hair, but it had two horns pointed forward. Its face was dark blue, and its eyes were yellow-green. It also had a scabbard on its left arm.

It unsheathed Yamato from its scabbard, and slashed Nero with swipes that were invisible to the naked eye. When he was finished, he returned to his human appearance and slowly sheathed Yamato. However, when the sword clicked, a dozen Summoned Swords pierced through him. Nero fell to his knees.

Vergil looked at him over his shoulder. "You have an opportunity to explore your powers. It would be unwise to challenge me with what little you know." He turned his head forward. "Keep that in mind the next time we meet. Maybe then, you will have what it takes to defeat me." With his final words, he walked away.

Nero slowly got up. He wearily tried to walk after him, but it was no use. After a few steps, he felt a surge of energy swell inside of him. He looked up at the sky, and roared. Suddenly, his appearance had changed into the Eidolon. Nero had activated his true Devil Trigger. When he reverted back, he fell unconscious to the ground.

A minute had passed. Lightning and Hope walked to where Nero was. "I- Is he...?"

"No. He only passed out. C'mon, let's get out of this rain," she urged. They slowly lifted him up and walked forward. They needed a place to spend the night.

Sazh had just been awakened by a clash of thunder. He looked outside to see that the still hadn't stopped. The afro man groaned in annoyance. "I didn't even get to sleep for long. Stupid thunder's gonna keep me up all night," he muttered.

He tried to fall asleep again, when he felt something behind him. He turned around, and was surprised to see Vanille sleeping behind him. She was shaking. It seemed that she had a nightmare and cuddled close to him during her sleep.

Sazh only gave a heavy sigh. "Still just a kid."

Lightning and Hope had managed to find a small cave after getting away from there. She had volunteered to look ahead to see if PSICOM was nearby. When she returned, Hope had already fallen asleep right next to Nero.

Lightning only sighed to herself. 'After tonight, I think I've earned a little shuteye,' she thought. She crouched against a wall, setting herself up in a position to sleep.

She was startled when Hope started talking to himself. "M- Mom..."

Lightning only looked at him, and gave a small chuckle. "I'm not even close," she muttered.

She looked at the two boys who were leaning against each other. She examined them closely, and then smiled to herself.

If one had meet them for the first time, they would have assumed that Hope and Nero were brothers.

She closed her eyes, and drifted to sleep.

Vergil managed to find a spot to rest. He slowly sat and meditated to himself.

'If he does manage to master his powers, he might even be able to fight me like-' He stopped when he felt a familiar presence. He glanced outside. It was still raining, but he could see it. A red shooting star. He took the liberty of memorizing the geography of Cocoon, so he could already tell that it was heading for the Sunleth Waterscape.

Vergil growled to himself. He knew what the presence was. Who it was. It was none other than his foolish brother. "Dante..."

Dante smirked to himself as he approached the oncoming planet. "I can already tell. This is gonna be ONE HELLUVA PARTY!"

Ch. 12: The Road to Palumpolum

Lightning tends Nero's wounds, as he explains to her the reason of his return. The trio venture onto the Gapra Whitewood, in an attempt to reach Hope's hometown of Palumpolum. But before they can continue, an unexpected enemy stands in their way.

**Finally got that done. WOO!**

**Now for the AN.**

**I've decided to NOT include Trish and Lady. Sorry guys, but you'll thank me later.**

**I will be making 2 spin-off fics out of this. A prequel starring Vergil, and another based on FFXIII-2. I've already got a story for Nero, but I need the game to come out!**

**I am still in school. Chapters will not come immediately, so bear with me.**

**I based Nero's new DT on the early concept art of his DT. It was pretty badass.**

**Other than that, thank you guys so much for the reviews you've given and ongoing support. This is Da-Awesom-One, signing out.**

**AND PLEASE REVIEW!**


	13. The Road to Palumpolum

**Capcom and Square-Enix own DMC and FFXIII respectively. AN: I've decided to stop the dating format I've done so far. It's hard to keep up the dates.**

Vile Peaks- The Road to Palumpolum

Nero slowly woke up to the sound of falling rain. He looked to his left to confirm this fact. Outside was still raining. It did, however, show signs that it would stop soon. It had been like this for hours. Ever since...

Nero quickly tried to get up, but he could only do it slowly. His wounds had not completely healed. Still, he could not forget who it was that put him in that situation. As much as Nero hated to admit it, Vergil had beaten him again.

And if that had not been enough, he also took the amulet. Well, technically it was Vergil's, but he honestly didn't care. He had lost. But it wasn't going to stay like this.

Nero was about to sit back down, when he heard a small snore. He turned around to see Hope, sleeping like baby. The boy seemed to be having a sort of nightmare, for he was moving around in his sleep. "Mom... C- come back... Mom..."

Nero only sighed. "Poor kid's been through hell. Losing his mom, being branded by a fal'Cie, chased by an army. Nobody that young should be in that position."

Hope began to shiver as he slept. Nero took off his coat, and put it over Hope like a blanket. "Hope that helps you sleep better, kid."

He was startled when a sudden noise came from behind him. He turned around to see Lightning pointing her gun at him. "Do we really have to go through the whole "bullet through my head" thing again?" he asked.

She lowered her gun and put it back in her case. "Sorry. I've trained myself to wake up to loud noises. A mouth as big as yours should be enough to wake me up," she mocked.

"Ha, ha," he sarcastically laughed. "She's got a sense of humor. That's nice."

Nero growled in pain as he slowly leaned on the wall, and sat down. Lightning went up to him. "Don't move. I was able heal the wound with these l'Cie powers, but it'll take some time to fully heal. It's best if you rest," she explained.

Nero gave her a surprised look. "You... You helped me? That's pretty out of your character," he remarked.

"Whether I like it or not, you are a valuable ally. Plus, I'm human after all," she explained.

Nero only remained quiet. "Sorry about that. Y'know, calling you a demon," he explained.

"No, don't be. You were right. I shouldn't have said that. I was wrong. For leaving you guys and Hope," she apologized.

Nero didn't say anything to that. However, he suddenly remembered what had happened. "Wait a minute. Where's Vergil?" he asked in an angry tone.

"Calm down. He's long gone. Plus, the rain won't let you get anywhere. We're stuck here until morning," she told.

Nero cursed under his breath. But he quickly shook it off. Vergil was in Cocoon. Like Nero, he was trapped here. Whether he wanted to or not, Vergil had nowhere to run.

"What happened to you back there?" Lightning asked.

"Whaddya mean?" he asked.

"After your fight with your Eidolon and after Vergil left, you changed forms. You took the form of your Eidolon. You looked like-" She paused. "You looked like a monster."

Nero pondered about this. "I don't know. Maybe it was my l'Cie powers. It must be messin' with my devil genes."

"I remember hearing him say something," she added. "He said something about the "inner devil inside of you finally awaking," or something like that."

"Really?" the half-demon asked. "In that case, that means I've got a new Devil Trigger."

"Devil Trigger?" asked the soldier.

"It's the form I take when my inner demon kicks in. Before, it was just a huge blue silhouette of a demon. But now I can take that form," he explained.

"I see," said Lightning. There was a moment of silence before she spoke again. "He was so strong... His movements were unreal. And that sword... He's a monster," she muttered.

"Yep, that's why I didn't want you and Hope to get involved." Nero added.

"How do you know him, by the way?" she asked.

"I'm a devil hunter. My job is to hunt down devils. I was looking for him when I got sent here," he explained.

"Is that really all? Judging by the way you fought him, you put personal feelings into that fight. He did something to you, didn't he?" she asked.

Nero gave her a fierce look. "That's none of your business! Stay out of this!" he warned with a raised voice. When he saw her surprised look, Nero readjusted himself. "Look, I'm sorry for yelling at you. It's just... I don't wanna talk about it."

They both sat there quietly for a few minutes. Then, Lightning spoke again. "We both saw you get killed by Vergil. Your body wasn't moving at all when I was fighting him. Then, out of nowhere, you suddenly come back to life. Care to explain how you did that?" she asked.

Nero sat there, pondering what it was he was going to tell her. He knew one thing, though. This was going to piss her off.

He looked at her straight in the eyes. "I'm not exactly sure about that, but... What if I told you... That Serah helped me?"

As quickly as those words came out, Lightning had her hand around his neck, and her other hand was in a fist, ready to make contact with Nero's face. "You had better choose your next words carefully," she said with a deadly tone.

Despite having a hand on his neck, Nero could still speak clearly. "I'm not lying. Please, let me explain."

Lightning was so tempted to sock him, but she looked directly into his eyes. His eyes instantly told her he was telling the truth. She let go of him, and sat down next to him. "Fine. What do you mean Serah helped you?" she asked.

Nero sighed in relief before starting his story. "Well, it happened like this..."

-Purgatory-

Nero woke up to the sound of the wind and crashing waves. He slowly opened his eyes to see a clear blue sky.

"What the heck?" he asked himself.

He got up from the ground, which turned out to be a sandy beach. He examined the sea that was in front of him. It looked completely endless. Behind him was an endless field of white flowers. Wherever he was, he had nowhere to go.

Deciding that standing around wasn't going to help him at all, he began to walk along the beach. Nero discovered that this beach was extremely long. Eventually he started running, hoping to find something or someone. After what seemed like an hour of running, he finally fell on his knees. He was panting out of breath, when he looked up. He couldn't believe who it was that he saw.

In front of him was none other than Snow's fiancée and Lightning's sister, Serah Farron.

"You... You're-" Nero said.

The words caught her attention. She turned to him, and gave him a smile only the kindest person could ever give. "It's you."

"What? You know who I am?" he asked.

"Well, not exactly. But I did see you the days before all this madness happened. You were watching me and Snow," she answered.

Nero silently cursed at himself. "I wasn't stalking you and Snow. I had my own reasons," he explained.

She walked up to him and helped him up, her smile still there. "It's fine. If it wasn't for you, Snow and I would be dead. I should be thanking you." She held her hand out, and shook his Bringer hand. "My name is Serah Farron. What's your name?"

Nero was somewhat startled that she shook his Devil Bringer. Most people would have avoided that instantly. But Serah was different. She showed no signs of fear. "Nero. My name's Nero."

"Pleased to meet you, Nero," she greeted.

Nero once again looked at the surrounding environment. "So, where the hell are we?" he asked.

"This is Purgatory. This is where l'Cie that have completed their Focus go to. It's a place linked to the land of the living, and the land of the dead," she explained.

Nero's eyes widened. "Wait a sec. Are you telling me I'm dead?" he asked with a shocked tone.

"That's what I thought when I first came here. But someone from the land of the dead explained it to me," said Serah.

"Huh. Must've been a good person," he implied.

"Yes. I could tell by just looking at her," she added.

Nero walked closer to the shore. "But I still don't get it. You're saying I'm not dead, yet I haven't completed my Focus. Or at least I don't remember completing it," he pondered out loud.

Serah walked up to him. "From this world, you can see everything that's been going on in the living world. I was watching you and my sister. You were fighting a blue-coated warrior. And he beat you."

Nero instantly remembered the duel. "Vergil! That bastard!" He paused when he remembered said man impaling him with his own sword. "Now I remember... I lost..."

"And that battle left you in a state in which your consciousness became trapped here," she explained.

"So you mean I'm not dead, but I'm not alive either?" Nero asked.

"That's right. Right now, you are sleeping the sleep of the dead," she finished.

Nero sighed to himself. "So that means I'll be dead in a few minutes," he said in a disappointed tone. "Wait a minute, what about you? Are you...?"

She gave a small giggle. "No. I'm only here because I'm a crystal. My body can't do anything out in Cocoon. So I'm stuck here until something changes. In other words, I'm still alive.

Nero gave a small chuckle. He and Snow were right. L'Cie don't really die. "Well, at least Lightning and Hope got away safely."

Serah quickly came up to them. "No they didn't. They're fighting that man."

He quickly got up. "What? But I saw them leave!"

"Apparently, they decided to wait up for you," she corrected.

He paced around in irritation. "They don't stand a chance. I have to go back and help them! But how?" he asked himself.

Serah walked behind him, and touched the area of his Bringer arm where the l'Cie brand was. "Try this," she suggested.

Suddenly, Nero gripped his arm in pain. He fell to his knees, and Serah knelt down next to him. "Wha- What did you do to me?" he asked in pain.

"I'm sorry if it hurts, but she said this was the only way to get you back to Cocoon," she explained.

"W- Who- Aagh!" His brand began to hurt to the point where he showed he was in pain.

"Promise me something, Nero," asked Serah. "Please. Protect Snow and my sister. Please!" Nero growled even more in pain. Serah gave him a quick smile. "I'll see you soon. I promise!"

Nero looked up to see her, but she was already gone. "Serah!" he exclaimed. He quickly glanced at his Devil Bringer, where its blue glow became red. After that, he blacked out.

-Vile Peaks-

"... I don't remember anything else after that," he said as he finished his story. Lightning only sat there quietly next to him. She was slowly taking it all in.

But she only cared about one thing. "She- she's alive..." she muttered.

Nero got up and walked towards the cave's entrance. "Hate to say I told ya so, but I told ya so." He leaned on a wall, and faced the sitting soldier. "You still wanna try and take on the Sanctum?" he asked.

Lightning quickly answered him. "Of course. We came this far, so there's no point in going back. We stay the course."

Nero gave an annoyed groan. "Really, girly? I just told you your sister can come back. But you still don't want to try? What are you afraid of?" he asked.

"I'm not afraid of anything!" she shot back. "In case you forgot, we're l'Cie. We are under a strict time constraint. If our time runs out, we become Cie'th."

Nero groaned. He had forgotten that fact.

However, Lightning wasn't done. "Plus, the Sanctum have killed millions of people. I may not know my Focus, but I know that the Sanctum will not stop until we are dead. They'll kill millions of people to do it, and they'll get away with it, as if nothing had happened. I may be a Pulse l'Cie, but I'm from Cocoon. I know firsthand that they must be stopped."

She took a deep breath after the long explanation before speaking again. "But that's not the only reason I'm after them."

"Huh? And what reason would that be, girly?" asked Nero.

"The Sanctum have always told the people of Cocoon to stay away from anything Pulse-related. Almost no one knows a thing about Pulse," she explained. "But I thought to myself. What if the Sanctum knows something? What if they know almost everything about Pulse? Even about Pulse l'Cie and how to get them out of stasis."

Nero's eyes widened in realization. "So that's why! You've been trying to save your sister the whole time!" He was taking this in quickly. "But... Why didn't you say anything? You could've just told us from the get-go, and you'd have the whole group helping out."

"You don't understand. Serah is my sister. She's my responsibility. I had to do this to make sure the only person who had anything to lose was me. Serah was the only thing I had," she explained. Nero examined her as she looked at the ground. For the first time ever, he saw a different expression from her usual cold glare. He saw sadness in her eyes. "I just want her back."

Nero stood there silently, with his eyes closed. When he opened them, he had a cheerful smile on his face. "In that case, you've gotta rest up. If we're gonna go to Eden, you need to be fully rested."

Lightning quickly looked at the devil hunter, surprised at his quick mood change. "But what about you? You took a bad beating from Vergil, too," she added.

"I've already had enough sleep for one night. Plus my demon metabolism is a nice perk. You on the other hand, are a human who needs to sleep. I'll wake you and the kid up in the morning, okay?" he assured.

Lightning sighed, seeing as Nero was right. She turned away from him and got in a sleeping position.

"G'nite, Lightning," Nero said as he took out his Blue Rose.

"Light."

Nero turned back to the girl. "What'd you say?"

She regarded him over her shoulder. "Call me Light."

He sat there chuckling to himself. "Alright. Good night, Light." He sat there, watching over the two l'Cie. But overall, he was glad Lightning opened up to him. It proved even more that she was human.

-Sanctum Skyfleet, the next day-

Snow was getting annoyed at the fact that he couldn't escape the ship he was on. His captor had just assured him that. He had met her back at Lake Bresha after he beat those two creatures; Eidolons they were called. She easily disabled him. And if that wasn't enough, they had managed to get Serah as well.

His captor was a woman with bronze skin, a blue Sari, and a double-edged spear on her back. "Get ready. We're here."

He looked forward to see that they were heading towards a massive Sanctum ship. Needless to say, he wouldn't mind being the owner of said ship. "Man! Wonder what's under the hood of that thing," he wondered.

The woman slapped the back of his head. "Keep your pants on, pretty boy. You'll get a sneak peek later. We're landing. Try to behave, will ya?"

Snow only smirked. "Can't make any promises about that," he warned.

She only chuckled to herself. "We'll see how long that attitude lasts, pretty boy."

-The Lindblum-

As he got off of the ship, he could see that a lot of soldiers lined up in the walkway he was in. Their uniforms showed that they were all members of the Guardian Corps.

A lone soldier ran up to the women. "He knows that you've arrived. He'll be here shortly," he told. She merely shrugged.

Up ahead, Snow could see a man in commanding attire approaching him. He wore the uniform of a Guardian Corps commander, and had dark brown hair, and light brown eyes. As he walked by, soldiers saluted him.

A soldier ordered him to stop, right as the man stopped before him. He held out his hand to Snow. "You must be Snow Villiers. Cid Raines. Brigadier general of the fleet," he greeted.

Snow didn't shake his hand. "Yeah, thanks for the escort, Cid," he replied with a negative tone in his voice.

Cid didn't mind the gesture. "My sincerest apologies. I only wanted to ask you a few questions. Questions, I believe, you may be able to answer," he stated.

However, as he spoke, Serah's crystallized body was being taken by soldiers. "Serah!" Snow called. He tried to go after her, but the woman stopped him. She gave him an expression that said, "Don't even try it."

"If the legends are true, it means she must have completed her Focus," Raines observed. "As a tainted Pulse l'Cie that is."

This quickly infuriated Snow. "You actually think she wanted to destroy Cocoon?" he asked in anger.

"I'd hardly be alone if I did. No one can claim to know anything about Pulse. My duty is to discover the truth, for Cocoon's sake," he explained.

"Cocoon's sake? We're from Cocoon! Yet you lend us a hand by Purging innocent people? By killing millions of innocent civilians?" he shot back.

"That's how the Sanctum handles things," replied Cid. "People fear what they don't know. They've grown tired of the constant threats from Pulse. The Sanctum already has a plan to deal with that."

"Oh yeah? And what would that plan be?" Snow asked.

"They plan to publicly execute you, and the rest of the l'Cie," replied Raines. "If they see the phantoms struck down before their eyes, the public sleeps like babies."

Snow was greatly infuriated by his reasoning. He knocked down two soldiers, before getting knocked down by a kick from the woman.

"You know the Sanctum already has intelligence on the other l'Cie," he added. "It's only a matter of time before they find them."

Snow gave a low growl. "You'll never find them," he growled.

Raines expression was indifferent. "Then I guess we'll need your help then, won't we?"

Snow was surprised when the soldiers uncuffed him and went on with their duties. He took out the crystal tear that came from his fiancée. "Serah..."

-Gapra Whitewood-

Lightning and Nero quickly hid behind some bushes. She looked up to see if anyone was there. After an assuring gesture from the soldier, Nero gestured Hope to follow them. "I can't believe we actually made it," said Hope.

Suddenly, the huge gate behind the trio closed itself. "No turning back now," stated Nero.

"But that'll slow down pursuit. There aren't many soldiers on this side, so we can handle them easily," assured Lightning. "We'll follow this pathway. Hopefully, it'll lead us to the exit. I'll take point. You two cover our backs."

Nero nodded in agreement, before Hope spoke up. "Wait, can I take point?"

This somewhat startled both Light and Nero. "You sure you can handle it, shorty?" asked the half-human.

"It's not a question of can or can't," he replied.

Nero and Lightning exchanged glances until they agreed. "Alright kid, lead the way."

They group moved stealthily. They made sure that they didn't startle the nearby monsters. Up ahead, flashing lights came from platforms. "Think those lights lead to the exit?" asked Nero.

"Most likely. It's a good idea to follow them," replied Lightning.

After a while of moving, Hope spoke up. "You ever been here on a mission before, Light?" he asked.

"No, this place is observed by another unit. Why? You getting scared?" she asked.

"No, I'm ready to fight if I have to," he assured.

She then examined the boy's expression closely. She then reached for her pocket. In her hand was a knife, which she handed to the boy. "Take this. It'll keep you safe. I'll want it back," she said.

Hope examined it before he put it in his bag. "Light, I'm glad I followed you," he admitted. "I'd have no chance if I were alone."

She nodded at him, and continued. Along the way, a lot of monsters tried to ambush them. "Man, what's with all of these monsters? They live here, or something?" Nero wondered out loud.

"This is a bioweapons research facility. It's also a test area for Sanctum mechs. I've heard rumors that Leunam was testing three new models, so we need to be careful," she warned.

"So this is basically a place to dump rejects. Greeaat," he remarked.

After a while of sneaking around, Hope suddenly stopped. "What's wrong?" asked Lightning.

He quickly turned to them. "We need to hide. Something's coming!" warned Hope.

They quickly hid behind bushes, to see that a small number of ships flew past them. "What the heck? They flew past us as if it was regular procedure. Are they even looking for us?" asked Nero.

"PSICOM must be keeping it under wraps. They don't want people knowing that they let us get away. They value their pride more than anything," she explained.

Nero only shook his head. "I know I say this a lot, but PSICOM sucks," he remarked. "At least it'll give us an edge while sneaking around."

They found an elevator that led them to the bottom levels. Hope spoke up as they were descending. "I wonder how the others are doing?" he pondered.

"What's wrong? You that worried about your girlfriend, Vanille?" asked Nero.

Hope stuttered in disbelief. "I'm telling you, she's not my girlfriend!"

"That's what they all say at first. Anyway, I sent her and Sazh away when I went after you. They're perfectly fine," he assured.

Hope's expression then turned into a small scowl. "Do you think _he's_ still alive?" he asked.

"Depends on who you mean by _he_," replied Nero.

"I'm talking about Snow," explained Hope.

Nero shrugged. "Beats me. It's been a while since we left him. He either escape, got caught by the grunts, or worse, got killed. So your guess is as good as mine."

"I highly doubt it," added Lightning. "He's too stubborn to die. That's the only good quality that he has."

Nero glanced at her. "You and Snow really don't see eye to eye that much, huh?" he asked.

"Well let's see, he's arrogant, chummy, and thinks he's everyone's friend from the get-go. So forgive me if I think that he's unreliable," she explained.

Nero only shook his head. Inside, he knew the real reason she didn't like Snow. It was because he was going to be Serah's husband, and she didn't approve of him.

"Isn't Snow a member of the Guardian Corps?" he asked. "I saw him leading a group of people back during the Purge."

"Those "people" are a just bunch of kids. They call themselves NORA," she replied.

The mention of the word quickly got Hope's attention. "Where'd they get the name "NORA?"" he asked.

"It's only a dumb acronym," she explained. "It stands for No Obligations, Rules,or Authority."

Nero gave a small laugh. "That's what it means? That sounded like it came form a teen who's yearning to ditch his parents!" he remarked. "That's pretty funny."

Hope stood up. "No it's not, it's irresponsible!" he blurted.

He stormed off the elevator, for it had stopped. Nero was left confused and startled by the remark.

They continued to make their way through the underground. There were many strange monsters that ambushed them at the first opportunity. Stealth was not an option. They fought through many monsters, including a Feral Behemoth. Eventually they found an elevator that went towards their destination at the top.

As they were ascending, Hope sat by himself, examining the knife Lightning had given him. Nero glanced at Hope. "Say, that's a pretty nice knife." Hope made no signs that he had heard him.

Nero examined his posture. Thanks to his training at Devil Never Cry, he had learned to read emotions off of the body's posture. Hope only examined his knife, but he was jittery, as if he was in a hurry.

Nero finally decided to say something. "Alright, what's wrong, kid? You've been acting strange since we last spoke."

"I don't know what you're talking about. I'm fine," the boy replied.

"No, he's right. Something's bothering you," said Lightning. She pondered for a few seconds. "It's Snow, isn't it?"

Hope gave a quick glance at her, thus confirming both of their suspicions. "So it's true. What happened between you two?" asked Nero.

"You wouldn't understand even if I told you," replied Hope.

Lightning then walked up, and crouched next to him. "Listen, Hope. We're in this together. You, me, and Nero. If something's bothering you, it's best to say something now, before it affects you later," she urged.

Hope remained silent for a few seconds before he spoke again. "My... My mother was killed... And it's all his fault..."

Nero's eyes widened. "Wait, you think Snow killed your mom?"

"That's because it's true!" he shot back. "He was leading those people to their deaths. My mom trusted him, but he got her killed! Plus, he dragged every one of us into this. You two, and Serah. He needs to pay."

Nero walked up to him. "Kid, you've got it all wro-"

"Don't tell me that!" he blurted. "I know what I saw! And if I want your opinion on it, I'll ask for it!"

He stormed off the elevator as it stopped. Nero tried to go after him, but was stopped by Lightning. "Give him some time. He needs time to think to himself," she explained.

Nero only gave a heavy sigh. Hope was going down a path alone. And wherever this path was leading to, it would lead to a very bad place.

"Let's hurry up. I think we're close to the exit," urged Hope.

They continued onward, until they found a group of bodies. "W- What happened here?" asked Hope.

"Something big must've been here. These guys stood no chance," she explained.

Hope was slowly walking up to one of them, trying to see if he can help them, when Light stopped him. "What are you doing? Control your emotions. If you want to survive, forget about sympathy."

Hope's eyes widened after hearing those words. "Easy, Light. Don't scare him," scolded Nero.

Lightning gave a small sigh. "How do I explain this so you'll understand?" she muttered.

After a minute of pondering, she knelt down by Hope. "Think of it like a strategy. Block out everything else. Only focus on the goal you are working for, and always trust your instincts," she explained.

Hope nodded in agreement. "A strategy, I see. Good idea. I'm gonna need everything if I'm gonna survive. It's all part of the plan," he muttered to himself.

Nero turned to regard him. "Plan? What kind of plan are you talking-"

He suddenly stopped when his Bringer began to go off. It usually did that in the presence of demons.

Hope and Light looked at his arm. "What's wrong with your arm?" she asked.

"It's going off. So far, this is the second time it's happened. The first time was when your Eidolon attacked. It usually reacts to demons," he explained.

"But there aren't any demons here," assured Hope.

"I beg to differ. I'm getting the presence of a demon nearby. And it's a big one," he explained.

As soon as he finished explaining, a red light was seen behind them. Out of nowhere, a huge demonic seal had appeared. It had many demonic symbols on it.

Suddenly, it began to open a portal. Thanks to his devil hunting experience, Nero knew that it was never a good idea to be in front of an open hellgate. "Both of you, get back!" warned Nero.

As they moved out of the way, a huge dragon came from the hellgate. It roared as the beast's body was covered with roaring flames. Most of the plant life surrounding it caught on fire. It had arms that were used as wings. The tail was spiked, with hard lava as its spikes. It had three horns on its head. Its teeth were flaming red.

The creature slowly examined its surroundings. **"Ah, the human haven,"** bellowed the beast. **"It has been ages since I last came here."**

Hope and Lightning were in disbelief. "W- What is that?" he asked.

"That, my little friend, is a very big demon," replied Nero.

"Yeah, I think that's pretty obvious," remarked the female soldier. Nero only rolled his eyes.

The demon had its back to the group. Nero decided that it was the time to strike. "You two wait right here. I'll give you guys the signal," he ordered as he began walking towards the beast.

"What are you doing? What signal?" asked Lightning in an irritated tone. Nero only ignored her.

He casually walked towards the demon. It was facing him, but it didn't regard him. The monster walked past him casually, as he did the same. When he made it to a certain spot, he grabbed the Red Queen and stabbed it into the ground. He instantly did 360 degree turn with it, unleashing a huge gust of wind. The fires were instantly extinguished.

Some of the fire on the dragon's body was extinguished, as well. The demon slowly turned around, finally paying attention to Nero. **"What do we have here? A human?"** it asked.

Nero looked up at it. "You know, you've got to be careful with fire. Remember, wildfires can always be prevented," he said in a mocking lecture.

**"My kind came to this world centuries ago, during the War of Transgression," **it bellowed, **"Back then, there was no such human who had such abilities, like you."**

"Yeah, we can talk about old times, or you can get that ugly ass of yours back in that gate," he mocked.

**"Silence, you worthless meatbag!" **The monster then fired a blast of flames at him, certain that it had engulfed Nero.

However, said person was inside an air barrier. "I bet you've never seen someone do that!" he bragged. The beast gave an angry roar in response.

"Hey I've got a question for you. Have demons discovered toothpaste, yet?" he asked, angering the beast even more.

He then gestured to Lightning and Hope, who quickly stood next to him in their battle stances. "Why are you insulting it? You're only making it angrier!" scolded Lightning.

"That's the point," replied Nero. "C'mon. It's time that I taught you guys some Demon Hunting 101."

**"You will regret mocking Abbadon! Me, the fire god of the Demonic Realm!"**

****Ch. 13: The Son of Sparda

Nero, Hope and Lightning team up against the fire demon Abbadon. Elsewhere, Sazh and Vanille encounter another demon that intends to devour them. Unexpectedly, they are aided by a mysterious man in red.

**PLEASE READ AND REVIEW!**


	14. The Son of Sparda

**Capcom and Square-Enix own DMC and FFXIII respectively. AN: Yes, I have changed the name of this fic. I needed something, because I plan to make this into a series of stories. Also, I have greatly revised previous chapters. And now, our favorite devil hunter makes his appearance!**

Gapra Whitewood- The Son of Sparda

The fire demon Abbadon charged at the group of l'Cie. Lightning and Hope only stood there, wondering if they should face it head on. Nero noticed their hesitation.

He quickly called to them. "Devil hunting lesson number one. Never get in the way of a charging demon. Especially if that demon is a walking flamethrower!"

They quickly took his advice and dove out of its way. The demon god then used its wings to hover above them. **"You cannot run forever, half-breed!" **it exclaimed.

Lightning called to Nero. "He's right. Dodging can only get us so far. Eventually, we'll get tired, and that thing will get us," she explained.

"I know that. That's why we shoot at it with whatever we got!" he explained.

He got his Blue Rose and fired at Abbadon. The demon retaliated by using its wings to send fire tornados at them. They were able to dodge them, but the demon landed right in front of them. Nero quickly Streaked it, following it up with a few blasts of Blizzara.

Abbadon took a few steps back, wiping the leftover ice from its face. **"So that is what I sensed from you. You are a half-demon l'Cie," **it observed.

Suddenly, more blast of magic attacked its back. It turned around to see that Hope and Lightning were facing him. Hope charged his boomerang with ice energy, and threw at the creature's eyes. When it made contact, the beast stumbled back a few feet.

When it regained its posture, it sent its tail towards Light and Hope. Nero got in its path, and stopped it from making contact. He got a good grip of it with his Bringer, and lifted it into the air. He went on to continuously slam it on the ground, cracking it with every strong swing.

He finally tossed the fire demon a few feet away. The being weakly got up. **"You- Such power... It can't be possible! That arm of yours should not be there!" **it exclaimed.

Nero only shrugged. "Whether or not getting this arm was preventable, I've learned to make as much use of it as I can. And in all honesty, this was a fair fight," he replied.

Abbadon growled at the group.** "Berial was right. The style you fight with. The way you handle your sword. You truly are just like he was,"** it muttered.

Nero narrowed his eyes at the monster. "Yeah, I remember Berial. He did say something about me looking like someone. Care to explain to me who it was that he was referring to?" he asked.

The beast gave out a demonic laugh. **"You truly are as stupid as a human, if even you can't figure it out! Our kind speaks ill about him. It makes me sick, to think that he would betray his own kind, for something as low as humans! That traitorous scum, Sparda!"**

Nero nodded to himself, finally understanding what the Conqueror of the Fire Hell had meant. **"It is too dangerous to let you live. You'll only get in the way! All threats must be eliminated!"** exclaimed Abbadon.

Lightning was curious about what he meant. "Hey, demon! What do you mean by "getting in the way?" Getting in the way of what?" she asked.

"**I have no obligation of answering that question to a disgusting human! It won't matter, anyway. Everything you know and love is coming to an end!" **bellowed the beast. **"Unfortunately, you will not live to see that glorious day come!"**

Abbadon charged at them, with every intention of tearing them apart. Simultaneously, Nero rushed forward to face him. Before either of them could make contact, the beast was blown back by demonic energy. It didn't even get a chance to get up, for something had lifted him up into the air. The being who lifted it was Nero, in his new Devil Trigger form.

Nero slammed the demon hard into the ground with his red Devil Bringer. He then jumped up into the air, grabbing onto his fully charged Red Queen. He then performed a Splitter, chopping the demon's head off.

But the demon said something before its head came off. **"You cannot stop it... He will return... And you will all... DIE-" **It could say nothing else, for its head had separated from its neck.

The trio stared at the creature's body, watching as it burned itself to ashes. Hope spoke up. "What did he mean by that? What can't be stopped?"

"Your guess is as good as mine, kid," replied Nero. "But demons are starting to show up in Cocoon. And that's never a good sign."

"Still," started Hope, "I can't believe that this demon knew Sparda."

"Yeah. Every demon knows Sparda. But they also hate his guts. Excluding a small number of demons who agree with Sparda's philosophy of being friendly to humans." Nero then realized what the boy had just said. "Wait a minute. You know about Sparda?"

"Yeah," answered Hope. "It's only middle school history and mythology."

"Really? They actually teach Sparda's story?" asked Nero.

"It's true," answered Lightning. "Long ago, during the War of Transgression, Pulse and Sanctum l'Cie fought each other for their respective worlds. Among those l'Cie was a person, simply known as Sparda."

"However, this person was actually a demon in disguised. Many believed that this was not possible, for demons who were marked as l'Cie never survived the process. Yet strangely, he is the only demon who has ever been able to survive it."

"He was marked by a Pulse fal'Cie, and fought for Pulse. It was because of him, that Pulse had most of the advantage during the war. No one could defeat him. He was practically an unstoppable killing machine."

"However, everything changed in the final days of the war. It was the day Ragnarok broke Cocoon's shell. Somehow, Sparda had found a way to rid himself of his l'Cie mark. He went to Cocoon to face Ragnarok, where he defeated the beast. Were it not for Sparda betraying Pulse, Cocoon wouldn't exist today, and everyone wouldn't be here," she finished.

Nero took in everything she had just said. "I see... But why did he betray Pulse? Didn't he have a Focus?"

"Nobody knows why he betrayed Pulse, or what his Focus was. When the war ended, he disappeared. No one knows what became of him," she answered.

"Well, I can tell you that he's dead, and he had two sons," he added. "And they're both crazy as hell."

Lightning ignored what he had said, and gestured to them. "We need to get a move on. We've wasted enough time here."

Both Hope and Nero nodded in agreement, and followed her. They made it onto the huge elevator that went to the exit. While scavenging the bodies of soldiers for supplies, Lightning found a set of designs on one of them. "Hey! Check this out."

Nero walked over and examined it. Hope was too busy looking at his knife. "What kind of sketches are these?" he asked.

"I'm not sure," answered the female. "But I can guess what they are. These look like the new designs for the mechs they were testing here."

Nero examined it further, and saw a familiar name. "Looks like you were right. Gaylord was the one overseeing production. It says here that there were three mechs. Only two of them were completed, while another one was in its final stages. Each of them were different models."

"It doesn't matter anymore, though," assured Lightning. "You killed Gaylor back at the Hanging Edge. We don't have to worry about those mechs anytime soon."

He sighed in relief from hearing that. He wasn't afraid of war machines, but those three were experimental. Who knew what it would take to destroy them?

Nero then remembered Hope. He had been saying something about a plan. And he wanted to know what it was. "Say, Hope. What were saying back there, before that demon ambushed us?" he asked.

"It's nothing special. It's just my plan to survive this ordeal, and to take revenge on Snow. I call it, "Operation Nora,"" he explained.

Nero walked up to him. "NORA? Are you trying to be ironic? Naming the plan to kill him after his own group?"

"I'm not naming it after that stupid group!" he exclaimed. He was silent for a few seconds. "I'm naming it after my mother's name."

Nero stopped at the mention of Hope's mother. "Her name... Was Nora?" Nero became silent for a moment. "It's a beautiful name," he comforted.

"Look I-" Hope hesitated. "I know that killing him won't bring her back," he explained. "But "sorry" won't cut it for me."

Nero was about to say something, but Lightning cut him off. "Snow isn't responsible for your mother's death. The Sanctum killed her, and all of those people."

Nero turned to her. He gave her a gesture that said, "Don't encourage him." However, Hope turned to her in anger. "Don't you dare tell me that! Whose side are you on?" he furiously asked.

She walked up to him. "I'm on the side of truth," she answered.

Hope stood there for a few seconds, before coming to a decision. "Fine, I'll help you fight the Sanctum! I'll learn to survive. That way, I'll be ready to face Snow." He then walked away, thinking of nothing but his goal.

Light then turned to Nero. He had an expression of anger in his eyes. "Why did you encourage him?" he asked.

"We need him to be ready for anything. The Sanctum won't pull any punches for him," she explained.

"But he's only a kid!" he shot back. She only looked away. He then walked up to her. "If something happens to Hope, because you encouraged him, it's gonna be on your head," he warned. He went after the boy, leaving the woman to think about what he had said.

She caught up with the two. They were looking at a city near the seashore. This was Hope's hometown, Palumpolum. "There it is, Palumpolum," said the boy.

Nero examined the view. "Looks pretty small from here. But it's bigger up close, right?" Hope nodded in response.

"We'll stop in when we get there," ordered Light.

Hope was still hesitant. "No, it's not a good idea. No one there will help l'Cie," he explained.

"Doesn't your dad live here?" asked Nero. He took the boy's silence as a yes. The devil hunter walked over to the boy, and knelt down to his eye level. "Hope, it doesn't matter whether you and your old man see eye to eye, or not. He loved your mother. You owe it to him. He deserves to know what happened to her," he reasoned.

He looked at the devil hunter, who gave him a positive smile. Hope finally agreed to go, and the group journeyed onward to Palumpolum.

-Sunleth Waterscape-

The Sunleth Waterscape was blooming with life. Every corner was nothing but grass, trees, and other plant life. On top of one of these trees, stood a man with a red trench coat, a wide confident smile on his face.

He examined his surroundings, breathing in the fresh air. The devil hunter known as Dante had never seen such a beautiful sight. "Ah, there ain't nothing like the Great Outdoors," he said to himself. "True, mine was smaller. But this is something you don't see every day."

He then pondered about his situation. "If this whole planet is just a huge jungle, then it's gonna be pretty hard to find the kid. And the fact that there's no one else around, is pretty annoying."

Suddenly, he heard the sounds of a girl giggling to herself. Dante looked down, to see a red haired girl skipping along a path with a dark skinned afro man. He smirked to himself. "Look's like I spoke too soon."

Vanille and Sazh were walking along the path. "So, any idea where we're headed?" asked Sazh.

"I'm not sure," she answered.

"You're not sure?" he asked in a confused tone. "You looked like you knew where you were going."

"I only followed the smell of the flowers," she explained. She knelt down and sniffed some nearby flowers. "They smell wonderful. So naturey!"

Sazh tried to smell the air, hoping to smell what the girl was smelling. "Sorry. It just smells damp. And I think a bug bit me back there."

Suddenly, the sounds of engines could be heard. They both hid under a tree, waiting for the ships to fly by. Two of those ships were carrying a huge crate under them, its cargo unknown.

"Those ships belong to the Skyfleet. The closest city in that direction is Palumpolum," he explained.

"Do you think that the Sanctum discovered them?" she asked.

"Beats me. Hopefully, they'll get away. But judging by those ships, the Sanctum's bringing in the big guns," Sazh replied.

Vanille kept looking at the direction where the ships flew off to. "Should we do something?" she asked.

Sazh only shrugged. "I'm not sure. I don't think there's anything we _can_ do."

Vanille thought to herself before coming to a decision. "We keep going. We'll run the other way."

"I see... So in that case, we're heading to Nautilus," said Sazh.

Both l'Cie followed the path, hoping to get to their destination as soon as possible. Nearby, however, they failed to notice a pair of demonic eyes that were silently observing them **"Finally. Lunchtime..."**

The path was not without danger. Many Flans and other monsters ambushed them. Nevertheless, that didn't stop them from enjoying the sight. Eventually, they stopped near a huge waterfall. It truly was a snapshot moment.

"So Sazh, tell me about yourself? You got any family? Relatives?" she asked.

Sazh sat down on a rock. "Well, I have a little boy. He's six years old."

"Ah, so you're married!" she assumed.

Sazh gave her an embarassed look. "Er- At one time, yes. I used to be married," he confessed.

She got in a determined pose. "We've got to get you home, soon! Your son must be worried sick about you!"

Sazh then looked away. "It's too late. Far too late."

"What's wrong?" she asked. "Is it the whole l'Cie problem?"

He quickly turned to her with a suprised face. "What? How'd you know?"

She gave a warm smile. "It doesn't matter if you're a l'Cie or not. You still have your responsibility as a father." Sazh sighed in relief. He knew that she was absolutely right. "So, does he have a name?"

"His name is Dajh," he answered.

He then gave out a loud yawn, indicating that he was tired. "Did you sleep at all, last night? You look like you'll fall asleep any minute now," observed Vanille.

"You could say that. That stupid rain last night didn't let me sleep at all," he complained.

"Or, is it because I'm too good to look at?" she playfully suggested.

"Little girl, get over yourself," replied Sazh. He lay down on the ground, adjusting himself for a little nap. "I'm just gonna catch some Z's for a bit. Do me a favor, and don't wake me up."

The chocobo on his head fluttered over to Vanille, where it landed on her hands. "Being a l'Cie is no easy job," she told to it. "There are times where even I get scared. But even if we don't know what will happen, or what might befall us, we have to keep our dreams alive. To have something to look forward to, y'know?"

**"Yeess. I understand perfectly." **Vanille was startled by the hideous voice. She turned around and looked up at the tree. Climbing down from it was huge ape-like creature which looked like a baboon. However, it had huge bulging muscles. Its fur was dark green, with its skin purple. It snout was red and blue, and its huge buttocks were red. It had a long tail with the same dark green fur, and menacing red eyes.

She quickly ran to Sazh, who was asleep. "Sazh! Sazh! Wake up!"

Sazh groggily awoke. "What? I told you to not wake me up." He turned around to see the huge demon. "AAHH! What the hell is that?"

The beast finally stood on his hind legs, staring at its prey. The duo tried to run, but the creature slammed its fist into the ground. Out of nowhere, a huge rock wall had appeared, blocking out their escape route. **"You pathetic humans! You should know better than to run from a demon. Especially me, Mandryll, the earth god of the Demonic Realm!"**

Sazh got his pistols and pointed them towards the demon. "Stay back!" He shot at the beast, where the bullets pierced its skin.

The earth god bellowed a low chuckle. **"That tickles."**

Sazh then connected his pistols together, making it into a rifle. He aimed the weapon carefully, and fired at its eye, easily making contact. **"AAHH! Bastard human!"**

It then slammed its fist into the ground, sending a huge blast made of stone toward him. It hit the mark, and sent him to the ground. Vanille quickly knelt down to him, casting Cura to tend his wounds. "Get up, Sazh! Get up!"

The demon spoke up again. **"Pathetic humans! How dare you believe you can stand up to me! Don't you get it? It doesn't matter where you run or hide. I will always smell your putrid, filthy, stench!"**

"Yeah. Funny you should mention a putrid, filthy, stench," said a voice from behind.

Mandryll looked over his shoulder, to see a red coated man, with silver hair, sitting on his tail. **"What the-"** The beast then swatted his tail, sending the man into the air. He twirled around in the air, only to land perfectly on his feet.

The man examined his coat, an expression of digust on his face. "Way to go, man. You just had to go and mess my coat up with your body odor. Thanks a lot, man. Thanks a lot."

The beast examined the human. **"You dare mock me, human? My kind has stood above your kind for centuries! Yet you foolishly go and insult me? You will pay with your life, scum!"**

The man only covered his nose. "I think I already did. Just being around your stink is punishment enough."

The demon growled in anger. **"Make fun of me one more time, and will make you suffer a pain you have never experienced before!" **it threatened.

He only smiled at the threat. "That's only, what, the millionth time I've been told that? Y'know, you deserve to have a brand new car for repeating commonly used phrases, that demons use when they're pissed off."

Mandryll had enough. He blindly charged at the man. "Why'd you make him angrier?" asked the hurting Sazh.

"Calm down, old man. I know what I'm doin'," he replied.

The man charged at the demon reaching for two pistols on his back. Sazh and Vanille looked on on amazement. That's when Sazh realized what he had said. "Hey! Who you calling an old man?"

The demon tried to grab the man, but he quickly jumped over the beast. In the air, he pointed his guns at the ape demon. He began to whirl in the air, firing off his guns as he did so. Every bullet pierced the demon's back, and it howled in pain when the bullets made it to his buttocks.

Mandryll repeatedly slammed its fists into the ground, the shockwaves causing rock spikes to tear out of the ground. The man fired at those spikes as they approached him, quickly turning them into dust. The ape then slammed its tail on the fighter, trying to crush him. The demon god thought it had succeded, but the truth was revealed when a huge amount of pain over came his tail. He turned around, to see that its tail had been cut off.

It sent a hateful glare at the man, who was looking at himself with his sword. **"You little bastard! How can you have dodged my attacks so easily? There is no possible way for a human to do that!"**

The man regarded the being. "Yeah, you're right. However, when it comes to a half-demon, it's child's play."

The monster's eyes widened when it heard those words. It took a few steps back, for it feared the man that stood before him. **"You! You're the devil hunter! The one who has killed so many of my bretheren! You are Sparda's son!"**

He flashed a smirk at the ape. "Exactly. So I'm guessing you know what comes next?"

Mandryll then charged at the half-demon with all of its power. **"I will not let you kill me! You cannot interfere with the plan! I will eradicate your threat, here and now!"**

It then went on to pound on the devil hunter continuously, hoping to quickly dispose of him. After a few moments, it stopped. Mandryll looked at the ground, hoping to see the corpse of the man. However, nothing was there.

It examined the ground, when a voice was heard next to his right ear. "Now, what were the words that I used when using that thing?" The beast looked at its right, to see that the son of Sparda was sitting on on its shoulder. It tried to swat him away, but he jumped off before it could do so.

As he landed to the ground, a huge light enveloped his left shoulder. He was then wearing a shoulder guard, that had a skull face on it, and two huge spikes on it. This was the devil arm, Lucifer.

"Oh yeah. Now I remember." He jumped high into the air. "First, I whip out!" He then took out six spikes. "Then, I thrust it!" He threw those spikes at Mandryll, each one making contact. "With great force!" He quickly flew to him, and lunged three spikes on its chest. "Every angle...!" He went to toss more spears at the beast's chest. "It penetrates!... Until... With great strength..." He then did a backflip, and shot six more spears at it. "I ram it in!" He then got one, single spear, and threw it straight at its chest.

He landed gracefully in front of Sazh and Vanille, who's mouths literally dropped to the floor after the performance. The man then turned around, with a rose on his mouth. "In the end, we're all satisfied..." He then clapped his hands, where all of the spears exploded, forming the shape of a heart. He then threw the rose to Vanille, and then took a bow. "And you are set free."

At that moment, Mandryll began to break apart, blood spewing out everywhere. **"DAMN YOU SON OF SPAARDAA!"** The beast then fell to the ground, where it dissolved into sand. If one was looking down from the tall tree, they would see a huge mound of dirt shaped like a heart.

Sazh and Vanille both began clapping to the man. The man gave more bows. "Thank you, thank you. You're a wonderful crowd! I'll be here all week!" he bragged.

Sazh walked up to the man. "We should be the ones thanking you. If you hadn't shown up and did what you did, we'd be lunch for that monster."

The man looked at the sand pile. "Yeah. I haven't seen a demon as stinky as that since I got here."

Vanille walked up. "That thing was a demon?"

"Yep. It makes me wonder if there are more around here," he pondered.

Sazh spoke up. "Well, I guess we'd better get going. Me and the girl have got some ground to cover. Thanks again for the help."

They were both walking away, when the man called to them. "Hey! Before you guys go, I was wondering if you could help me out."

Sazh was about to decline, but Vanille spoke up for him. "Sure! What do you need?"

"Well, I was wondering if you guys have seen someone. I've been looking for a kid, see. I know it's a long shot, but maybe you guys have seen him?" he asked.

"Maybe we have. What does he look like?" Sazh asked.

"Oh you know, about my height, has a huge blue coat, red hoodie, brown boots, blue pants, and silver hair. Gets mad easily, hate's being called a kid, and dislikes getting his ass handed to him. Anyone match that description?" he asked.

Both Sazh and Vanille were silent. That description matched Nero, to an extent. However, they weren't sure if they should trust him.

The man took the silence as a no, and gave a huge sigh. "Thought as much. Well, thanks for the help anyway. Have a safe trip, wherever it is you're going."

He was walking away, when Vanille called to him. "Wait! Did he... Did he have a demonic arm?"

Hearing that was enough to stop him. He turned to her, a huge smile covering his face. "That he does, little lady!" He then walked back to them. "That kid, Nero, must really trust you guys, if he was willing to show you his freaky little arm."

"Actually, circumstances kinda forced him too," revealed Vanille.

"Really? So tell me, little lady, what kind of cirumstances are we talkin' about?" the half-demon asked.

Sazh then pulled Vanille back, where they were in a small huddle. "Vanille, you sure we can trust him? He may know Nero, but that doesn't necessarily mean he's friends with him. What makes you think he's reliable?"

Vanille quickly glanced at the man, who was using his right pinky to get wax off of his ear. He quickly looked at it, and flicked it away. "Sometimes, a girl just knows," she answered.

He gave a heavy sigh. They both went back to the man. "You want the story? Well you've got it." They went on to explain what had happened, how they were all Purged, and met each other, and that they went to save Serah, only to arrive too late. Sazh also explained how everyone became l'Cie, including Nero as well.

"So let me get this straight... You're saying that the kid got lazy? Pardon me, but I find that highly doubtful, considering that he usually does all the work back home," he muttered.

"What- No! I said that he became a l'Cie," corrected Sazh.

"He's with Lacey? Wow. Didn't expect him to move on so quickly."

"NO! He's a l'Cie! L. Appostrophe. C. I. E. L'Cie!" exclaimed the irritated afro man.

"Oohh..." answered the silver-haired man. "Y'know, that doesn't have a bad ring to it. Le' See. Sounds French."

"Oh yeah? Well, a l'Cie is given a Focus, a certain objective that they must fulfill. If that person fails that Focus, that person becomes a disfigured monster. Sound good to you now?" asked Sazh.

"Er... Now that you mention it, I do love looking at my beautiful mug every morning," replied the man. Sazh only sighed in defeat. "Anyways, you guys know where that kid is now?"

Vanille shook her head. "I'm really sorry, but he left with the other l'Cie to give us an opportunity to escape."

The man threw his arms into the air. "Are you serious? I just came from that way, and it took me a whole day too! And now you're saying that I have to go back?" He groaned in irritation, pacing around by himself. "Hmm... What to do? What to do?" He then stopped, finally getting back his confident grin. He pulled out a random coin from his pocket. On its face was the carved picture of a woman sitting down. "Tell you what. If the coin hits heads, I kick it with you guys. If its tails, I'll go back the way I came from."

Sazh's eyes widened. "Wait, what-" he didn't finish, for the man had already tossed the coin. When it landed in his hand, the silhouette of the woman was up.

"And we've got heads! Looks like I'm staying with you guys for a while," the man cheerfully declared.

He was walking in the direction they were headed in, when the dark skinned man stopped him. "Now wait just a darn minute! Weren't you saying, just now, that you were looking for Nero?"

"Why yes, I did say that," he answered. "But I'm not in a hurry. Plus, I just got here. I want to have the opportunity to get a good look at this place. It's not everyday you visit another planet, y'know."

"Did you not hear what I said? L'Cie have a certain amount of time to complete their Focus. If you just sit around and wait, he'll become a Cie'th before you find him!" countered Sazh.

The man simply waved it off. "Look at it this way. You two are his friends, right? And he trusts you. It only means that you guys are destined to meet again. So by staying with you, I'm actually increasing my chances of finding him," he explained.

Sazh was about to argue more, but Vanille spoke up. "Great! The more, the merrier!" Sazh finally gave up. No point in fighting a battle that was already lost.

Vanille walked up to their new companion. "So new guy, what's your name?" she asked.

He looked at her, and flashed a freindly grin. "I go by a couple of aliases. But you, my new lady friend, can call me Dante."

Sazh only shook his head. "A bunch of kids are takin' care of me. Some dad I am."

-Palumpolum-

The city of Palumpolum was in an uproar. News about Pulse l'Cie on Cocoon had caused public unrest. To protect the civilians, the Sanctum announced an immediate high alert. Palumpolum was closest to the last known location of the l'Cie. The Sanctum made it their top priority to monitor the city.

In the skies, a ship was descending. On it's roof, a Sanctum official was adjusting his earpiece microphone, ready to adress his fellow soldiers. He had a long green uniform, and silver hair, that consisted of thick collar-length bangs. It was spiked at the front, and slicked down at the back, with a short ponytail that was tied with a black ribbon. He had a thick scar running the length of his forehead, with blue-grey eyes.

He began his speech.** "Attention all units. This is Director Rosch, PSICOM division. Cocoon is caught in the grip of a Pulse-born Terror. If we allow l'Cie activity to continue, panic will rip our world apart. The peace and stability we have fought so hard to maintain will be nothing but a memory. These Pulse l'Cie threaten our very way of life. They must be eliminated. There can be no hesitation."** He paused. **"That is all."**

He then gave the intercom to the soldier on his left. He walked towards the landing pad a few feet away. "I we fail now... Our citizens will pay the ultimate price," he muttered.

Hope, Lightning, and Nero were hiding behind an armored truck. They were carefully watching the soldiers as they armed themselves with pistols, rifles, and other weapons.

"Did you expect to see this many soldiers when we got here, Light?" asked Nero.

"No. I didn't expect them to mobilize their forces so quickly. We're gonna have to find a way to sneak inside," she explained.

Hope spoke up. "We can make it. There are a few train stations in the city. We can board one of them straight to Eden."

"Yeah. That is if the trains are still running," she countered.

"Then we'll take a train by force. We've come to far to stop now!" he pleaded.

Suddenly, three ships flew over the l'Cie. Two of the ships were holding a huge metal container with the same EMP technology that Lightning had before. The lead ship was landing in the helipad, right in front of the PSICOM director.

When the door opened, a man in the exact same attire came out. However, this man had blond hair that was slicked back, and blue eyes. He approached the man and saluted him, as any PSICOM director would do to another.

Nero's eyes widened as he saw the man. He couldn't believe who it was. It was the man he thought he had killed back at the Purge. The man who had tried to take his weapons. He was saluting Yaag Rosch.

"No way... Gaylord?"

Ch. 14: Rendezvous

The group sneaks into the underside of Palumpolum. Suddenly, Lightning realizes a shocking truth, causing the group to briefly fight. Despite the setback, the l'Cie enter Palumpolum, only to be received with a squadron of PSICOM and Guardian Corps soldiers. Suddenly, two other l'Cie appear to help them out.

**Another AN: Yes, I have decided to involve Leunam once again. I thought about this very well, and I'm sure that you will agree, that I can make this guy more menacing.**

**Anyway, here's how I've decided to separate the groups.**

**1: Nero, Lightning, and Hope**

**2: Dante, Sazh, and Vanille**

**3: Snow and Fang**

**4: Vergil**

**Vergil will reappear later, so don't worry.**

**I want to make something clear. Vergil is in his DMC3 attire. Dante is in his DMC4 attire.**

**So that's it for now, and remember,**

**READ AND REVIEW!**


	15. Rendezvous

**Capcom and Square-Enix own DMC and FFXIII respectively. AN: Hope you guys had a nice Thanksgiving break, and are filled with yummy food. I was eating food, and playing Assassin's Creed Revelations. I beat it yesterday, and I've got to say, it is simply amazing. Now, enjoy the next chapter.**

Palumpolum- Rendezvous

"HOW IS THIS FUCKING POSSIBLE?" hissed the demon l'Cie, Nero. He, Lightning, and Hope had just arrived at Palumpolum, only to discover that their enemy, Gaylor Leunam, who was believed to have been killed, was still alive. Needless to say, Nero, his supposed killer, was really pissed. "I shot him in the chest. In his heart, if he has one! How could he still be breathing?"

"Calm down! Are you trying to give us away?" scolded the female soldier.

"Who is that guy? I think I've seen him on T.V. before," observed the boy.

"That's Gaylord Leunam," explained Nero. "He was one of the people in charge of the Purge back in Bodhum. The guy was in our train. We had to get rid of him to get out of there, but apparently he survived. He had better not get in our way."

"With him here, it'll be even harder to get inside. Two PSICOM directors are hard to avoid." As she said that, a lieutenant was giving orders to squadrons of both PSICOM and Guardian Corps soldiers. "They're working together now. They really want us dead. Sneaking is our only option, but it might be impossible with all of these soldiers," she observed.

"I know!" blurted Hope. He pointed to a set of tunnels that were a few feet away. They went below the city. "I used to play in those tunnels when I was little kid. No one's used them for years, so even PSICOM doesn't know about them. We can use them to sneak in under their noses."

Lightning evaluated his plan, and decided to follow it. "Sounds good. Lead the way, Hope."

"Those sewers had better not mess up my coat," muttered Nero.

As they made their way to the tunnels, Gaylor and Yaag Rosch were speaking to each other. "It is good to see that you are recovering quickly, Gaylor."

"Thank you, Rosch," he thanked. "But I'd really like to get to the matter at hand. A lot has happened since my absence, so I want to fix this problem as soon as possible."

Rosch cleared his throat. "Very well, then. This is the situation so far. Pulse l'Cie have been detected in the area, leaving a trail of destruction as they go. As you know, a law was recently passed, that said that every PSICOM soldier was to have a camera installed into their helmet. Thanks to certain images we've acquired, we have confirmed that there are six known l'Cie."

"I am already aware of this, Rosch. That is why I told Jihl to set up a one hundred and fifty mile perimeter around their last known location, which of course was the Vile Peaks. We'll find those l'Cie. It's only a matter of time before they're dealt with," he assured.

Yaag examined his friend. Ever since his operation, he had been acting different than his usual cocky self. Now he was more serious and direct. "Are you sure you're alright? I mean, you've only been in the hospital for a few hours, and came back from a two day period. Your father, Somar, even advised against it."

"I told you before, I'm fine. Father does that from time to time. I don't see why I would be in any danger," he assured.

"I'm not worried about that, Gaylor. I'm just worried about what they did. You and I are no strangers to this. That kind of technology has not been used since the Insurrection. There is a reason why we stopped using it," he reminded.

He walked up to Rosch and patted his shoulder. "Were it not for this technology, I would be dead right now. The times have changed, Rosch. We have to do whatever it takes to keep these l'Cie from destroying our world. If we have to resort to using Pre-Insurrection technology, then I say we use it!"

"Do whatever you want, Gaylor. Just remember that we a have a duty to fulfill," he said, turning his attention to the soldiers working below.

Leunam then walked towards the edge. "Say, Rosch. Did you make sure to cover all of the exits?"

"I am very certain that we did. Why?" he asked.

"I'll tell you. But first, can you tell me where those tunnels go to?" he asked as some open tunnels caught his eyes.

-Nutriculture Complex-

"Good thing we got past those guards, huh?" said Hope.

"Dude, we were like Solid Snake from Metal Gear Solid! You really pulled through for us, Hope," he praised. The boy gave a small chuckle in response.

"Who's Solid Snake?" asked Lightning.

"Someone you'd probably get along with from the get-go," joked Nero.

They got out of the tunnel, to emerge in a huge chamber. Many platforms were moving in the air, almost aimlessly. A hundred feet below, there was a huge body of water. In the center of the chamber, was a huge floating statue, or at least that was what it appeared to be.

"This place is huge! It's amazing how those grunts weren't able to find this place," wondered Nero.

"But they will eventually. And when they do, they'll sweep this entire place for us," added Lightning.

"Then that means we have to be one step ahead of them. C'mon, I'll show you guys the way," Hope urged.

As they approached the first platform, Lightning spoke up. "So Hope, how long does it take to get to the surface?"

The boy then stopped, and scratched his head in embarassment. "Sorry. I never got the chance to explore this whole place. High school came along, and I kinda stopped coming."

Nero patted his shoulder. "Well today's your lucky day, kid. We're gonna figure it out together."

They continued onward to the edge. Lightning activated a panel that controlled a nearby platform. They got on, and waited as they got to the floating bridge. As it floated, a squishy sound caught Nero's ears. "Hey. You guys hear that?"

"No. What did you hear? Do you think it's PSICOM?" she asked.

"No way. If I heard footsteps, I would have told you guys to hurry up. What I heard was something else. It sounded... Squishy," described Nero.

The platform landed, and in front of them, were monters made out of some sticky glop that was colored greenish brown. They had crab claws, and, strangely, wore hats that had flashing lights on top of them.

"Ew! Are these what I heard? What are they, walking piles of shit?" he asked.

"They're just Flanitors," explained Hope. "The Sanctum uses them to keep the sewers in check. But they don't really do much of a good job."

Suddenly, Nero started freaking out. Lightning and Hope looked on in confusion, until they saw a Flanitor on his back. "Don't just stand there! GET IT OFF ME!"

Lightning gave a heavy sigh, and then shot it with her Blazefire Saber. As soon as it got off of him, Nero went on to shoot it with many of his bullets, and then to continuously attack it with his sword. "Stupid! Walking! Piece! Of! Shit!"

When the thing was finally dead, he looked at his coat. "Dammit! Stupid freak messed up my coat. That was the last thing I wanted to happen!"

Hope was chuckling aloud, while Lightning gave off a small smirk. "Nero? You're hopeless, sometimes."

"Ah, shut up. Let's hurry up, before my dirty coat gives us away," ordered Nero.

As Nero continued to fume about his encounter with the Flanitor, the group came across a platform that had a good view of the floating structure. "The heck is that?" asked Nero.

"That's the city's food production fal'Cie, Carbuncle," explained the Palumpolum native. "Y'know, I wonder if it thinks that we're its enemy. What with the whole Pulse l'Cie thing, and all."

"They just leave a fal'Cie as important as this by itself? If a terrorist group wanted to, they could hold the city hostage by threatening to destroy this thing. They'll be Sanctum's most wanted in a matter of minutes," said Nero.

"Most people would expect Pulse l'Cie like us to go straight for this fal'Cie," added Lightning.

"The people hate us enough, already. Making them hungrier will only fuel their hate for us even more. It's not a good idea to take it out," reasoned Hope.

"We weren't thinking about taking it out," replied Nero. "I'm just trying to make some conversation. Y'know, to get my mind off of the whole "crap on my coat" thing. You could also say I'm trying to not look nervous."

"You're nervous? Why?" asked the boy.

"Well, it's not everyday you have to take down a huge government. Plus, we're under a time limit. It gets stressful," he explained.

"I guess half-demons get cold feet, too," muttered Hope.

"Got that right," added Nero, as they began to continue their exploration.

They continued to use the platforms to get to higher levels. From where they were, they could see an elevator that went up. "Isn't it funny?" asked Hope aloud. "A Sanctum fal'Cie is what we're using to get out of this chamber, and we're Pulse l'Cie."

"It's called irony, kid. You see it a lot as you grow up," explained Nero.

"It's not that ironic, really," countered Lightning. "I mean, we've relied on them our whole lives. They are responsible for our food, energy, and everything else. Thet basically provide us with our way of life. To tell you the truth, I think Cocoon was made just for them. And us humans, we're just parasites taking from their work," she confessed.

"Is that what you think? Honestly, I've only thought of them as just some statues that people like you worship. The moving fal'Cie are the ones that cause you harm, like Eden. Trust me, I have experience with evil moving statues," he joked.

"Most people don't talk to them, because they're afraid of becoming l'Cie. But now that I think about it, we really don't try to talk them. Maybe it's because, deep down, we know that they protect and nuture us. They treat us as if we're special. They treat us like... Like we're their pets!" he told.

Nero chuckled to himself. 'Pets? That's hilarious. I mean, all my life, I've known that people do their own work. Surely there's something humans on Cocoon have credit for!' he thought. He then stopped chuckling when he saw that Lightning's eyes widened, as if realizing something. He noticed that her eyes were looking at the fal'Cie. Nero waved his Bringer in front of her vision. "Hello? Earth- er... Cocoon to Light! You still with us?"

"Pets... That's what we are to them... We're pets to them... It all makes sense now..." she answered.

They both looked at her, confused at her statement. "Umm... Are you alright?" asked the former knight.

"I've been so blind!" she answered. "I was born into a fal'Cie world, and was raised on fal'Cie leash... It was the only life I knew how to live... And when I became a Pulse l'Cie, that life was taken from me... I became lost... Without a master to follow, me and my life had no purpose..."

"But... What about Serah? Can't she be-"

"Saved? Maybe, but there's no way to know for sure. For all I know, the Sanctum has nothing on Pulse," she countered.

Nero could not believe his ears. The stubborn girl he met a few days ago, who was the most focused out all of them, was giving up on saving her sister. Again. "Wait, what are you trying to say?" asked Hope.

"Listen to me, Hope. This l'Cie mark took everything from me. It took my future, my hopes, my dreams. I didn't bother to think, so I chose to fight instead. Everytime I fight, nothing feels real to me. I was running away from the truth. And you got swept along with me!" she explained.

"Lightning... I don't understand..." he answered.

She paused before saying her next sentence. "Operation Nora... Is over."

Nero mentally sighed in relief. Lightning finally realized that Hope could not do what he was palnning to do. However, as soon as she said that, Hope began to panic. "What? But you- You were the one who told me to keep going! You told me to fight!"

"I was wrong! I made a mistake!" she replied.

"You can't do that! You can't just go and build something up like that! Only to abandon me..." he said.

Nero quickly went to him. "Nobody said anything about abandoning you! We won't abandon you! We're in this together, alright?"

However, Hope pushed him away. "Why are doing that? I expected you, of all people, to understand how I felt!"

"What are you talking about?" he asked in a confused tone.

"You're just like me. Someone took someone you cared about away from you! Snow took away my mom from me, the same way that Vergil guy did something to you! They both have to-"

The moment he heard Vergil's name, Nero quickly grabbed Hope's collar. "DON'T. YOU. EVER. Compare Snow to Vergil! You have no idea what kind of things he's done!"

"THAT'S ENOUGH!" shouted Lightning as she pulled them apart.

Nero looked at the ground in embarassment. He just put his hand on the boy he was supposed to protect. But he needed to get his point across. "The difference between Snow and Vergil is that Vergil doesn't give a damn about anything. All he cares about is getting more power! He won't care if people are killed in the process, or if those people have family waiting for them. He'll just walk off, as if nothing had happened. Snow, on the other hand, actually knows what he did wrong. And you might not know it, but he's actually trying to make up for his sins... And you're trying to kill him before he gets the chance."

He walked off, and stopped at a set of stairs, where he only stared at the floor. After a while, Hope sat next to him, silent as he was before.

The boy spoke up again. "Now what do we do?"

"We get out of this cave," answered Lightning.

"And then what? We're l'Cie; ticking time bombs! If we don't have a goal, do we just wait and die?" he asked aloud.

"When I said that, I didn't mean we should give up," she explained.

"Then who do we fight, huh? What are we supposed to do?" he asked furiously.

"I DON'T KNOW!" she furiously responded.

"You don't know?"

"That's right. I don't know!" she repeated. "But we can't give up. We can't lose hope."

"Hope? In case you haven't noticed, there's no hope for l'Cie," he said.

"Well... There's you, kid," Nero responded.

"Hope's my name. It's not who I am," he sadly said.

There was an awkward silence for a few minutes. Then Lightning spoke again. "You know, Hope, I used to be just like you." Both of the silver-haired boys looked at her. "When I was young, my parents died. My father was a soldier, serving under the Sanctum Special Black Ops. He was killed in an undercover assignment. When I was fifteen, my mother became ill, and eventually succumbed to to the illness. Only me and Serah were left. I had to be strong for her, so I thought I needed to forget my past. And then I became Lightning. I thought that if I could change my name, I could be able to change who I was... But back then, I was only a kid..."

Nero listened on intently, finally understanding how Lightning became who she was. "Lightning... It flashes brightly in the sky... And then fades to nothing... It can't protect anyone, or anything... It can only destroy..." She then sat next to Hope. "Serah tried to tell me that, but I didn't listen. No. I refused to listen." She then remembered the day that Serah had revealed her secret. How she was a Pulse l'Cie, and that she planned to marry Snow. All she had done was push her away. "I threatened her. When she needed me the most, I just pushed her aside. I didn't believe her. The only one who believed her was Snow-"

"DON'T SAY IT!" blurted out Hope. "Don't say his name. It reminds me of what happened... It keeps replaying in my head over and over... And then I see Snow's stupid face... And he's smiling! How can he be smiling, when he's responsible for the death of many people?"

"But Hope-"

"I KNOW! I can't do anything about it. I hate knowing that! No matter what I do, there's no way she's coming back!" he fumed.

"It never gets any easier, does it?" asked Nero. "Knowing that you were there, when a loved one died. Only feeling helpless as that person is killed before your eyes. And thinking that there was something that you could've done to prevent it. It's hard, believe me."

Hope then turned to the demon hunter. "What do you know?"

"Remember, kid, that I was there too. I was there the moment your mom died. She was caught in a blast from some sort of explosive. When Snow held onto her, she was already dying. Even if we had gotten her out of there, she would have died a few days later." explained Nero. "But she wasn't the only one. Everyone else who fought died too. I stood there, watching as every single person fell to their deaths. I was so helpless. I hated it. You see something horribly wrong going on, and there's nothing you can do about. I couldn't protect anyone. I didn't have the necessary power to save anyone."

"Vergil said that back at the Peaks. You don't actually believe him, do you?" asked Lightning.

"Of course not," he replied. "But that's what I saw. And that's how I felt. Snow was there too, y'know. And whether you believe me or not, he was helping your mom. He tried his best to get her out of there alive. The Snow I saw wasn't the cocky dude we all know and love. I saw a man dead set on saving everyone there. A man who would probably give his life to save those people." He then got up and patted the boy's shoulder. "You and I think differently of Snow, because you and I had different vantage points. I understand if you're mad at him. But taking his life from him isn't going to-"

"I know that!" interupted Hope.

"And I know you know that. But we're not talking about killing a monster, or a half-demon. We're talking about killing a human being." Nero knelt down to Hope's eye level. "Don't do something you're going to regret." He then got up and looked at the elevator. "Let's blow this joint. I don't want another Flanitor to get all over my coat," he joked.

As they approached the elevator, Hope tugged on Nero's coat. "Listen... I'm sorry for talking about Vergil. I know that's personal for you... But I was angry, and-"

Nero just patted his head. "It's fine. Sorry for grabbing you by the neck. Wasn't pleasant, I bet." Hope just shrugged. "But Hope. You need to talk to Snow about what happened. It's the only way you're going to deal with your problem."

Hope shook his head. "I'm sorry, you guys. I'm messed up."

"No," started Lightning. "It's my fault." She went to the elevator's controls. And activated it. "You need to talk to your father. Tell him what happened."

Hope was startled by this. "What? Why?"

"Because fighting without hope isn't a way to live. It's a way to die. I want you to find your new pupose. To find the hope you were named for."

Hope looked at the l'Cie brand that was under his glove. "Talking to my dad won't make anything better. He's never listened to a word I've ever said," he complained.

"He has to, kid. After everything that's happened, he has to," assured Nero.

Hope looked at Lightning, and thought about what she had said. "Snow believed Serah, didn't he?"

Lightning only stared at the ground. "Yes... He did..."

The elevator shaft was long. Nero sensed the awkward tension after the argument, and decided to lighten up the mood. "Soo... Why Lightning? I mean, you could've easily named yourself something nicer."

"Like I said, I wanted something so that I can change who I was. I'm pretty sure I couldn't rename myself with a regular name, so I decided to name myself after something that could personify who I was going to be."

"And you chose Lightning. Well, I guess it's better than Lady," muttered Nero.

"You know a person named Lady? What kind of name is that?" asked Hope.

"It's the name of the first person who's ever shot me in the head. Lightning's the second."

Hope gave a surprised looked to Lightning. "Don't ask," was her response.

"Well anyway, was your name really that bad?" he asked.

"No. Why wouldn't I not like it. It was the name my parents gave. It'll stay with me for the rest of my life."

A moment of silence continued. "And?"

"And what?"

"What's your name?" he asked.

She chuckled. "Sorry. Only the people who are important to me can know and say my name," she replied. Nero groaned in disappointment. "But like I said, I changed it so I can forget my past."

"But you never really forgot, huh?" he asked. "I don't blame you. If I knew my past, I'd never forget it, no matter how hard I tried."

She became curious after hearing this. "You don't know about your past?"

"Well, yeah. But I don't know where I came from. I was orphaned since I was a baby. I didn't come with any names or certificates. They called me "Nero" because I was covered in a black blanket when they took me in. In my first years, kids were saying that my mom was a prostitute, because supposedly everybody knew everybody, but me and my mom. Needless to say, I didn't have a good start in life."

"Wow," muttered Hope. "That's terrible."

"I didn't really pay them much attention, so don't sweat it. But you know what bugged me? I wanted to know who my parents were, and why they left me. I wanted to know my origins. To discover the truth. But by the time I was six, there was no possible way of figuring that out. So I just gave up looking. Still, there are times that I wonder if they're still alive. And, now that I think about, you and I are the same, Light."

"Really? Why's that?" she asked.

"Well, I lost my foster parents at a young age. I kinda had to grow up fast too. But my friend was the one who was more like you. I only followed his lead. So I kinda took my time," he explained.

Lightning examined Nero, noticing that he had just opened up to them to ease the current tension. "I didn't think someone like you had it that rough."

"Yeah well, don't worry. I guarantee you'll know more later on," he assured.

They all looked upward as the elevator made it to the surface. Lightning got her gunblade out, gesturing Nero to get his pistol as well. As they got out, news report was being heard on a nearby monitor.

**"In a recently convened emergency conference, the Sanctum announced that the fugitive l'Cie have been located." **Nero looked at the monitor, hoping to not see Sazh and Vanille. **"The military has reported, that they plan to apprehend the l'Cie, and have them publicly executed in Eden. These images coming to you, live, from the scene at Palumpolum."**

Nero looked up at the monitor to see, to his surprise, himself, Lightning, and Hope on the newscast. "Guys... If we're on T.V., doesn't that mean-"

"They know we're here!" finished Lightning.

Suddenly, airships began appearing on the scene. Out of every corner came armed Guardian Corps soldiers. They all had their guns aimed at them, ready to pull the trigger.

"SHIT!" was Nero's response. He quickly got his Blue Rose, and many red dots were pointed at him. "Hope, get between us! They'll shoot you if you're in the open!" he advised. The boy did just that.

A PSICOM cruiser began hovering above them. On the roof, were directors Yaag Rosch and Gaylor Leunam. "These are l'Cie," ordered Rosch. "They aren't people, they're targets! Show no mercy!"

Gaylor was examining the positions that each squadron had taken, and smirked when he confirmed that they were there. However, when he looked at the l'Cie, he was quickly infuriated at who they were. Standing below him was the rogue soldier, Lightning Farron, a timid boy, and him. He quickly rushed in front of Rosch to give out orders. "KILL HIM! KILL THAT BASTARD L'CIE! END HIS MISERABLE EXISTENCE HERE AND NOW!" he barked.

Nero smirked as he saw the dork who tried to take his weapons. "Hey! It's Gaylord! How's it going? How's the mister? He isn't too pissed that I shot you, is he?"

"HEY! FUCK YOU! FUCK YOU, AND DIE!" He was quickly pulled back by Rosch, who was telling his guards to take Leunam inside.

Lightning whispered to Hope. "You start running. We'll hold them off."

Hope looked at them. "But you two- You guys might not make it."

"I know," said Nero, who then flashed a grin to the boy. "But we will."

"But-"

"No buts, Hope!" interjected the soldier. "Your job is to survive."

As soon as she finished saying that, an explosion was heard. They looked up to see a pillar of smoke coming from the ledge above. On that ledge, two PSICOM soldiers were getting up to their feet, but one of them was slugged to the ground. The other felt a fist go to his gut, and was then thrown over the ledge. Another soldier rushed toward the assailant, only to have a boot implant itself on his face. The man smirked as he caught the soldier's gun in mid-air.

A women in a blue Sari rushed up to him. She examined the soldiers that were in front of them. "That is some crowd we've got on our hands. Got a plan?"

The man smiled confidently. "Since when have heroes ever needed plans?"

A nearby soldier got up, and was then blasted by the man's Blizzaga. He then reached for his arm and pulled out a blue heart-shaped crystal. He tossed it forward, and shot it with his gun. The shattered crystal began to liquify, and surround itself in a bluish light. Then, structures of ice erupted from the ground, surprising the squadrons who were ready to fire. Out of the glowing central orb, came two blue colored creatures, covered in what looked like motorcycle gear.

"Fang!" the man called as he tossed his gun to the woman, Fang. He jumped off the ledge, and was caught by the two creatures. They tossed him into the air, as they fused together to form a motorcycle. He landed perfectly on the seat, as Fang landed behind him. He revved up the motor, and began riding on the ice structure. As they rode on, the soldiers were firing at them, missing them by a few feet. The woman had a good aim, and was able to shoot down a couple of soldiers.

Hope was surprised to see who it was driving the motorcycle. "It's him! Snow's here!"

Nero looked at the man as he drove his bike. "Man, this guy seriously doesn't know how to die!"

Lightning pulled Hope as they moved onward. She began firing at the soldiers, while Nero covered her. As he ran out of ammo, a group of soldiers surrounded him. However, he only smirked at them. "Boys, let me introduce you to the Red Queen." He then swiped his sword, taking out three soldiers. He kicked the soldier behind him, and swung his Bringer at the remaining soldiers. More grunts began firing at him. He flicked his coat backwards, sending a bullet casing into the air. He unloaded the empty gunshells in the barrel. He then turned in a three-sixty-degree turn, and caught the falling bullets, instantly reloading his gun. He then went on to quickly take out the soldiers with his trusty gun.

Leunam and Rosch watched as their bodyguards fired at Snow and Fang. Fang shot one of the guards, thus enfuriating Leunam. "If you want something done right," he said as he picked up the machine gun and began firing as well. However, he was not able to make contact.

Rosch looked on, when a floating camera was in his view. He pushed it away in annoyance, already frustrated with the current situation. The camera then looked upwards, only to be destroyed by Fang's gun. Smoke enveloped the roof of theship, blocking their view. Yaag growled in annoyance. "MOVE THE SHIP! TAKE US UP! TAKE US UP!" he ordered. Leunam growled, knowing that his enemy had escaped him. But he knew for certain that they would meet later that day.

Lightning and Nero were back to back, fighting off the soldiers with their blades. Lightning swiped one soldier in his arm, while she she did a Blitz on two of them. Nero Streaked two soldiers, and then impaled another with his sword. A GC tried to hit him with an electric baton, but he quickly sidestepped, and slugged him to the floor. Finally, he kicked a soldier in the face with his boot.

They all looked up to see the retreating cruiser. "Looks like Gaylord has a date with his man."

The group quickly ducked to avoid being hit by Snow's flying bike. He then proceeded ride up to them. "Hey, Lightning! Good to see you're alright!"

"You could've ran us over, jackass!" exclaimed Nero.

He gave a small chuckle. "Good to see you too, Nero."

Lightning got Hope, and pushed him towards Snow. "Take care of him, Snow."

He quickly got off of his bike. "Lightning, listen! Serah's alright! We can turn her back!"

Lightning paused to his words. She was about to answer, but bullets began flying towards them. "Snow, take care of Hope!" She then rushed off to confront the soldiers.

Snow called to her, but she was already gone. Fang gave a small chuckle. "And then there were four," she said as she rushed toward Lightning.

The soldiers aimed their guns at Snow. He quickly got Hope and put him on his bike. "Hey there, kid. How've you been?" he greeted. "Hang on, this could get bumpy!" He revved up his bike, and began to swerving the bike in circles. As he did so, ice began covering the area around him, covering the GC soldiers and the Orion mech. When he stopped, the entire structure caved in on itself, eliminating the enemies quickly.

The Eidolons, the Shiva sisters, gently dropped both Hope and Snow on the ground. Hope walked up to him. "Where have you been?" he asked.

He scratched his head. "Funny story. See, I got taken in, but not by PSICOM. The Cavalry found me first. Their leader's name is Cid Raines. He said he'd help us out," he explained. "And thanks to him, your hero's back!"

Hope shook his head. "Why would the army help Pulse l'Cie out? It doesn't make sense."

"Hey, the military has different kinds of people. But not all of 'em are fans of the Sanctum," he explained.

He then remembered that Lightning had ran off with Fang. He looked over his shoulder to see Nero fighting off some soldiers. "Hey, Hope, start moving. I'll be there in a sec." Hope nodded, and quickly started moving. Snow then called to Nero. "Hey, Nero! You got a sec?"

"I'm a little busy, if you don't mind!" he answered.

"Don't worry, it'll only take a sec. Listen, when you're done here, can you go catch up to Light? I gotta take care of the kid," he explained.

"I'll try! I'm not sure where she went, though!" he said as he dodged a few bullets.

"She couldn't have gone to far. Do me a favor, and watch over her, will ya?" Snow then went after Hope, but stopped before he got there. "Hey! And be careful!"

Nero turned to him as he finished a soldier off. "I'VE GOT IT ALREADY!"

Ch. 15: Facing the Truth

Nero catches up to Lightning and their new ally, Oerba Yun Fang. She tells them her story, as well explains her involvement in their becoming a l'Cie. Meanwhile, Hope's hate for Snow begins to surface, as he readies himself to exact his vengeance.

**PLEASE READ AND REVIEW!**


	16. Facing the Truth

**Capcom and Square-Enix own DMC and FFXIII respectively. AN: Finally time for the holidays! And with FFXIII-2 almost coming out, it makes it even better. I'm highly excited for upcoming games such as Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance and Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance. For those who don't know, there have been new gameplay trailers for the revamp of DmC. I'm pretty satisfied with the gameplay. Now, onto the last chapter of 2011.**

Palumpolum- Facing the Truth

-Seabus Docks-

"Stay down, you piece of shit turtle!" exclaimed Dante as he finished the Entil with his guns. Sazh and Vanille worked together to take out the Enki, but took some time with it, due to their inexperience with magic. Nevertheless, Dante tried to cheer them up. "Don't worry guys. Not everyone can be as quick as me. And Sash, you don't have a bad aim. For an old man."

"It's Sazh!" he corrected. "And I ain't old."

"Yeah, whatever. So where to now?" he asked.

"Well," started the afro man, "We need to get over this ridge, right here. It's the only thing that's stopping us."

"Ah, I see. A hop, skip, and a huge jump, and we'll be in... Uh... Where are we goin' again?" asked the devil hunter.

"We're going to Nautilus! The City of Dreams!" answered an excited Vanille.

"Oh right. Thanks, Vanilla."

"Um. It's Vanille." she corrected.

Dante bowed his head. "My sincerest apologies, Vanille. I'll try to remember next time."

Sazh gave Dante a glare. "Hey, where's my apology?"

"Look, Sazh," he said, heavily pronouncing his name, "Vanille is a lady. And you shouldn't be rude to a young lady."

Sazh ignored him, and lead the way once again. When they climbed past the ridge, they found a train station that led to Nautilus. Unfortunately, an electric fence surrounded the perimeter. Sazh sighed in defeat as he examined it. "Well, I guess climbing over isn't an option. And I doubt there'll be any holes too-"

He was cut off by the sound of gunfire. He turned to see Dante unloading bullets from Ebony and Ivory into the fence. He moved them in a circular motion. When he stopped, he kicked the fence, thus making a hole. He smirked at the two l'Cie.

Sazh shook his head. "I'm starting to wonder if Nero got his trigger-happy attitude from you," he remarked.

"Oh no," corrected Dante, "Kid's had that ever since I met him. He wishes he got it from me."

The sounds of thunder and raindrops surrounded the area. Sazh did not like this, for he couldn't sleep with rain. They quickly dashed under a dock with rain covers on it. "Aw man! This is leather!" complained the son of Sparda.

"Say hello to Cocoon weather, Dante," explained Sazh. "One day, it'll rain and pour. And the next day, it'll rain even more."

They sat there for a few minutes, until the girl spoke up. "Hey, Sazh... Do you hate Pulse?" she asked.

"Well of course! It's because of Pulse that we got dragged into this whole mess, in the first place!" he ranted, and after, he took a slight pause. "But that doesn't mean I always hated it," he confessed.

"What do you mean?" she asked.

"I mean, it looked ridiculous to me. All the Sanctum ever did was continuously rant about how "Pulse was a major threat to Cocoon." "They'll attack anyday." "Pulse is filled with monsters and demonspawn from the demon world." They would always give out these "warnings," and have absolutely no proof to show for it. Old cynical people like me don't give into that kind of tabloid crap. Oh no. Not Sazh Katzroy. I used to always think that the Sanctum was planning something big. That they were up to no good." He paused and looked at the ground. "Until... I got dragged in, of course."

Vanille looked at the man, whose expression had saddened. "What happened?"

"A few days ago, there was an accident at Euride Gorge. That day, I took my son there, so I could show him the fal'Cie running the place." He gave a soft chuckle. "All the time, he'd been beggin' me to take him to see a fal'Cie. He was so sweet, how could I say no?"

"Anyway, I had left him in the fal'Cie's balcony for a few minutes. That's when I got this guy," he explained, showing the chocobo on his afro. "In those minutes that I had left him alone, someone had attacked the fal'Cie. I ran over there as fast as I could. Luckily, I found him... But I was already too late... The fal'Cie had already branded him a l'Cie."

Vanille's eyes widened after hearing that. "So... What you meant about the l'Cie problem was-"

"That's right," he answered. "I was talkin' about my boy. I don't even know if he's still out there. The Sanctum took him because he had the ability to sense other l'Cie. They never figured out what his Focus was. I'm startin' to wonder if he's still out there, or..." He stopped himself. He couldn't bear to think that. "And you know, now that I think about this whole Pulse business, the Purge, and everything, I realize that this was all because Dajh found that fal'Cie."

"No..." responded Vanille. "Don't blame him..." Sazh didn't know it, but she had an expression of guilt on her face.

He shrugged. "Yeah... You're right... That scum from Pulse was responsible. It was them who did it."

Vanille couldn't take it anymore. She quickly got up, and ran out of the cover and into the rain. She stood there, trying to hold back her tears, but it was useless. "Hey!" called Sazh. "Aren't you worried about getting water all over you?"

Vanille turned to him, a huge smile on her face. "Don't worry! I'll be okay!" she called. "It's only water..."

Dante was laying down on the bench. He really hadn't payed much attention to the conversation, but he did listen in on the part about the boy, Dajh. He felt sorry for Sazh, having to know his son was on a time limit. However, he examined Vanille closely, and knew she was upset. One of his demon hunting facts was that devils never cry. His awareness level was high enough to spot any tear, in any condition. Demons couldn't hide their tears from him, and neither could the girl.

On top of the ridge, a man in a blue coat was watching the trio, but keeping his eyes on the devil hunter. "It's time that we had another reunion... Brother..."

-Palumpolum-

"Do you mind telling me, what the hell that display back there was all about?" exclaimed PSICOM director Yaag Rosch.

"IT WAS HIM!" exclaimed PSICOM director Gaylor Leunam. "That bastard, with that monstrosity of an arm! He did it! He took it from me!"

"It doesn't matter!" interjected Rosch. "Today, we looked like fools trying to eliminate those l'Cie. And you had to let your anger get the best of you, in the middle of it!"

"Those l'Cie won't get far," he assured. "I've put the entire city on lockdown. They've got nowhere to run."

"I'm not talking about that!" blurted Rosch. "Ever since you got that installed, it has been affecting your psyche. You are extremely out of order! I'm beginning to think that you haven't fully recovered."

"Again with this, Rosch? I already said that it won't affect me. This has saved my life. I'm fine!"

"I think that you should cease with your sudden fascination of Pre-Insurrection technology, and take a leave of absence," suggested the director.

"Need I remind you, that I am your superior in both rank, and status?" Leunam shot back.

"But you are not fully healed. If you truly want to help, stay here and monitor our squadrons. If not, then I suggest you leave." And with that statement, he entered his ship.

Gaylor stood there in silence, evaluating what had just been said. He then called one of his men over to him.

"Yes, sir! What do you need, sir?"

"Did you put _it _in position?" he asked.

"Yes, sir! Just as you ordered, sir!"

An evil grin appeared in his face. "Excellent..."

Elsewhere, in the Back Alleys of Palumpolum, a lone soldier was scouting the area. He had followed two of the fugitive l'Cie to this location, and was certain that his grenades would be enough to take them out. He treaded onward carefully, making sure that the l'Cie had not spotted him. Suddenly, a couple of distant sounds were heard. They sounded like footsteps. Bingo.

He slowly approached the wall, and leaned on it, praying to whichever God who could hear him. He took in a deep breath, and quickly rounded around the corner.

"FREEZE!" he ordered, sounding very authoritative in the process. Sadly, there was no one there to hear him.

He let out a deep sigh of relief, before everything went downhill for him. His head was suddenly slammed into the wall, almost knocking him out. The assailant slugged him into the ground, leaving the soldier even more disoriented. The last thing the soldier saw before he lost conciousness, was his silver-haired attacker sending his monstrous fist into his face.

Nero dragged the soldier's body to the dumpster on the wall. He cringed at the smell, but nevertheless dumped the soldier into the garbage. "Trust me, pal. This is better than the alternative."

He continued down the alleyways. After taking out the goons that were causing him trouble, he found a path of unconcious and dead soldiers. He quickly assumed that this was Lightning's doing. He folowed the trail of bodies, and it lead him to the unlucky grunt. He quickly leaned against a wall, hiding his location from anyone trying to find him. It was there, that he heard sounds. Not willing to take any chances, he slowly took out his Blue Rose. He cocked his gun, readying it for battle if necessary. Nero finally took a deep breath, and turned to confront the source of the footsteps.

Yet he found no one. He kept his guard up, and his gun steady. Nero slowly walked forward, his eyes forward the whole time. This was his only error.

A huge red lance swung at his stomach, taking the air out of his lungs. He leaned forward in pain, leaving an opening for the assailant and an accomplice. They sent him to the ground on his back. Nero tried to quickly get up, but found that two blades were at his throat. He looked up at his enemies. His look of defiance turned into one of surprise. His attackers were the woman, Fang, and the soldier, Lightning.

Lightning was the first to notice her error. "Hold on! He's with us," she explained.

Fang got a good look of the devil boy, and recognized him as well. She reached for his coat, and lifted him up. "What the hell was that all about?" he asked.

"Sorry. We were being tailed by PSICOM. Can't be too careful, eh?" she reasoned. Nero noticed that she had an Australian accent, just like Vanille.

"Well, we better get goin'. The entire city's on our ass," he urged.

They continued onward easily, realizing that Nero had taken out the last of the soldiers. As he tried to avoid the garbage, he noticed that the new woman was a bit on edge. "Er... You alright, lady?"

She muttered something like, "He was supposed to call it in." After rounding another corner, she growled in frustration and pulled out some sort of metal stick. She flicked it open, and put it to her ear. It seemed to be a cellphone of sorts. She stood there impatiently for a minute, until she started screaming at the person on the other side. "What the hell are you doing? You were supposed to call in a few minutes ago!" Nero and Lightning already knew she was talking to Snow. "Right... What's your current status?" A few seconds of silence. "I'm great, you're great, everybody's great!" She then turned to them. "You two! Talk to this guy, and figure out where we're headed. Don't worry about them finding our signal. The line's hyper-encrypted," she assured.

Lightning took the phone, fully aware that Nero didn't know how to use it. On the other side of the line, Snow talked to her. "Hey, Sis. Are you there?"

"I'm not your sister," she interjected.

'Yep. It's Snow,' thought the former knight. He told her to put it on speaker. "Where are you guys, right now?" he asked.

"We're safe. For now. We need to figure out where we're gonna go to get outta here," he responded.

Everyone stood there, thinking about possible escape routes. Nero then remembered something. "Hold on. Snow, ask Hope where we can find his house. This is his hometown," he explained.

"Oh really? Wait up a sec." Snow could be heard asking the boy that question. "He says that his house is in Felix Heights 35-A."

"It's settled then. We'll set that place up as our rendezvous point, and meet up there," concluded Lightning.

"Alrighty then. It's settled. When we get there, I have to talk to you about Serah. She can turn back! I found out why! I'll tell you later, 'kay? There's still hope!" he explained.

Nero looked at the girl, instantly knowing she was still uncertain about talking about her sister. Then, she remembered about the boy. "Snow, listen to me! There something I have to say about Hope. His-"

"Lightning?" answered Hope's voice.

Nero quickly intervened. "Hey, kid! How's it going? You taking care of yourself?"

Suddenly, static was heard. "I'm fine-... Listen... I... continue... Operation... I'm sorry..."

Nero and Lightning both called to the boy, but couldn't get him. "It's called static interference, people. Yelling doesn't fix it. If you guys wanna chat with him so badly, wait until we get there," explained Fang.

"What the hell? Didn't you say the line was secure?"asked Nero.

"Yeah well, it ain't immune to interference. PSICOM's probably responsible, but I wouldn't worry about that," she assured.

As she peeked around the corner, Nero looked at her right arm. She had a white tatoo that covered most of it. Yet as different as it was, he instantly knew that it was a Pulse l'Cie mark. "What the hell is that? And who the hell are you?"

She looked at him, and saw that both he and Light were looking at her arm. "I'm one of the people who saved you, remember?"

"Just because you saved us, doesn't mean we can trust you, lady," he shot back.

"If you want us to cooperate, you better tell us who you are," added Lightning.

The woman began scratching her head, as if she was hoping t avoid that. She leaned on the wall opposite of them, looking both of them straight in the eyes. "The name's Oerba Yun Fang. Fang, for short. I've got a few screws loose, but I'm a l'Cie, just like both of you," she explained. "However, I wasn't born on Cocoon. I was born on that planet below that you hate so much. I was born on Gran Pulse."

Lightning's eyes widened at the revelation, but Nero raised his hand. "Then we're not that different. I wasn't born on Cocoon, either. But I wasn't born on Pulse."

Fang was surprised to hear this. "What? Where did you come from?"

"I believe you were speaking first?" he countered.

"Oh right. Well anyway, me and my partner were turned into crystal back on Pulse, but we woke up here on Cocoon," she explained further. "In other words, the reason that you two are here... Is because Vanille and I woke up."

Both of the l'Cie were shocked to hear the girl's name called out. All this time, the cheerful, happy-go-lucky girl of the group, was a resident of the world below. "Vanille? Wait up, does she have orange pigtails, bead necklace attire, a fur pelt, and yellow boots?" asked Nero.

The woman's eyes widened. "You know who she is? Where is she? Tell me!"

"I'm sorry. I sent her and another l'Cie away into the opposite direction. We've got the army's attention, so they shouldn't be in danger. I promise you that I'll take you to her, as soon as we get outta here," he assured.

Fang let out a sigh of relief. Her friend was still alive. She could still be saved. "I'm so glad... I was hoping she got out of Euride Gorge in one-"

"Euride Gorge... You two were reponsible for what happened?" asked the soldier.

"Er... Yeah. See, this is what happened." She went on to tell them about how both her and Vanille lost their memories of their Focus, and how they were five hundred years old. Fang had her mark burned off, which was why it was white. Vanille's, unfortunately, wasn't and was still bound to a time limit. They woke up in the Vestige, around the time Serah came. Their awakening caused Serah to become a l'Cie. Fang thought that attacking an enemy fal'Cie would help them regain their memories, but it failed. After that, she was forced to seperate from Vanille to keep her safe. "Thankfully, Lady Luck was on my side, and I was found by the Cavalry. And well, here I am!"

Nero spoke up. "Man... You are one old lady..." This earned him a slap to the back of his head.

Lightning took in the information. "So you're saying that my sister was turned into a l'Cie because of you? That it's your fault that we're all l'Cie?" she furiously asked.

Fang hung her head down. "Unfortunately, yes. We didn't do our jobs right... I'm sorry..."

Lightning continued to glare at her, until she started walking towards her. "Oh boy. You pissed her off," remarked Nero. She stopped in front of the woman, and looked her sraight in the eye. She then slapped her face with the back of her hand. "Stings, doesn't it? I think I heard some birds flitter off-" Lightning glared at him, instantly shutting him up. Her fists can cause some serious damage, even to him.

"You done, now? Finally got that outta your sytem?" Fang asked, as she rubbed her cheek.

"You damn better hope that it did," she replied in a venomous tone. "But whether you're off the hook or not, is up to Serah."

"You two finished? We've still got a lot of ground to cover," reminded the half-devil as they finally began moving again.

They had several encounters with some troops, but they were either struck down by Nero and Light, or blasted by Fang's magic. It turned out she knew a bunch of very handy spells. They decided to take a break on a stairway bridge. Nero tried to contact Snow, but the cellphone was still being jammed. He only shrugged to the idea, knowing well that Snow could take care of himself. "Y'know, for wanted criminals, we're doin' a good job staying hidden," said Nero.

"Why's that?" asked Lightning.

"I mean, the Sanctum has made no news whatsoever about captured l'Cie. If one of us were caught, they would have said something by now, right?" he asked.

"Yep, they'd have to say that the evil, montrous, l'Cie are no longer a threat. Cocoon's just a bunch of pansies and cowards," remarked the Pulsian woman.

"These "cowards" are told every day that they should fear a Pulse invasion, and that they should always be ready to fight," she responded. "You know, if it weren't for Serah, I would be your enemy."

Fang gave a small chuckle. "Pulse is almost the same. "Cocoon is a viper's nest." "They'll strike us at any time." ...Or at least that's what I was told growing up."

"So you became a l'Cie to beat the crap outta those vipers, huh? And burning the nest is your Focus," asked Nero.

"It's our Focus now, too," corrected Light. Nero only shrugged.

Fang got up. "We must have completed a sort of Focus, to turn to crystal like that." She groaned in frustration. "But dammit, why can't I remember it? I remember everything that happened before! Except for that little part! It's all just a blank. And my brand... It's all messed up, and I don't even know why! I lost both my past and Focus, along with Vanille."

"And now you want to be a Pulse l'Cie to figure it out?" asked Lightning.

"Of course not! Cocoon and Pulse can go to Hell for all I care... But if I don't do something, Vanille will become a Cie'th... I'll tear down the sky, if it will save her... She- She's the only family I have left..."

She was silent for a few seconds, when someone patted her back. She turned to see Nero, a confident grin on his face. "I don't know about tearing down the sky, but I'll help you save her. She's my friend too, after all." Fang smiled and thanked him.

"By the way, did you guys see her brand?" she asked.

Nero blushed. "Er- Um... She showed it to us... But I didn't look because it wasn't er-... Appropriate."

"Ah. So Pretty Boy's a gentleman, eh? Well, did you guys know that your mark tells you how much time you have before you turn Cie'th? Here, I'll start with Lightning." she stated.

She asked Light where her brand was, and she pointed to her breast. She was about to check it, but quickly turned to Nero. "Hey, Mr. Gentleman. You mind?"

Nero looked at her and Light. "Wait, wha-... Oh. OH! Oh shit. Of course. Sorry. Sorry." He quickly turned around, not even daring himself to look back.

"You're in luck. You're nowhere near." She turned to Nero. "Alright, Pretty Boy, your turn." Nero sighed relief, but then remembered where his mark was. Nevertheless, he rolled up his sleeve, and showed her the Devil Bringer. "Well ain't this a freaky little arm that you have? I didn't know Pulse brands gave this kind of stuff."

"It ain't from the mark. I had it before I was branded. I'm a half-demon," he explained.

"Ah, so you're Nero. Snow told me a bit aout you. Anyway, your mark is the same as hers," she told.

"How can you tell when your time's up?" asked the soldier.

"The arrows multiply and open an eye," explained Fang. "When that eye opens, you're screwed."

"Then I guess there's no time to waste. C'mon, we're nearly there," urged Nero.

Elsewhere, Snow and Hope decided to have a break. On their way, they ran into a mob that tried to lynch them. It was an unpleasant experience. Snow was reaching for two sodas from a vending machine, and tossed a can to the boy. Hope didn't drink it. As he sat there, he remembered a time from when his mother was still alive. His mother... The man responsible was right there. Now was the time.

"Snow!" he called. "What are you going to do after this? I need to know."

"Oh that's easy," he replied. "I'm gonna save Serah and Cocoon, and have myself a big, happy family! Might be a while from now, or not. I guess it depends on what happens. But even as a l'Cie, you've got to keep fighting for what you believe in." He got his empty can, and threw it at a nearby trash can, where it went in.

"So tell me, what happens if that gets the people you care about involved?" Hope asked. Snow then thought back to Serah, and her fate. "What happens when someone's life is ruined because of your actions?" Thoughts of team NORA came to him. He never knew if they escaped the Purge or not. "What if someone gets killed?" The first thought was that mother. She entrusted him with protecting her son, and he never found him. "What then, huh? What do you do then Snow? How do you pay for what you did?" he asked furiously.

"I CAN'T!" he replied. "There is nothing, that can make something like that right... When someone's dead, when they're gone, words are useless!"

"So that's it? You just run and pretend like it never happened?" Hope asked.

"It's all my fault!" he responded. "But I don't know how to fix it! Like where do you start, and what do you say! All I can do is keep moving forward, so I can find the answers!"

"THERE AREN'T ANY ANSWERS TO FIND!" blurted the boy. "You can't just do that! You're running from what you deserve!"

"Well then tell me, Hope, what do I deserve?" Snow asked in a frustrated tone.

"YOU DESERVE TO DIE!" Hope then shot a Firaga Blast at Snow, sending him into the air. He grabbed onto the ledge, but saw the boy staring at him with a deadly look in his eyes. "Her name was Nora Asimar Estheim. She was my mother. And she died... BECAUSE OF YOU!"

Snow's eye widened. "You... You're the one she was talking about!"

Hope got the knife and held onto it. This was it. The time for judgement had come. He had to pay. Yet suddenly, a missile barrage headed straight for him. His eyes widened as the seconds passed. In an instant, everything went blank.

Then, everything began to light up again. Hope felt a bit groggy as he woke with a headache. "Hey. You're up, kid." Hope looked down to see he was being carried by Snow. He was battered and bruised. He had literally taken a beating.

"You... Why'd you save me?"

He was painfully walking forward. "Lightning... And your mother, Nora... They told me to keep you safe." Hope's eyes widened after hearing this. "Look. What happened to her was my fault. I put her in harm's way... Let me make things right."

"But... Back there, you said that you couldn't..."

"Yeah, and other stupid stuff that I shouldn't have said. I was confused. I didn't know how to fix things. To make things right... So I didn't. I told myself that apologies were useless, if you couldn't make up for it... I wanted to figure out a way to pay it back, before I even had the right to say I'm sorry... But what you said back there made me realize what I was doing. You were right. I was using that as an excuse to run from the guilt..." He continued to walk onward, fully fighting his body's demand for rest. "I am responsible for your mom's death. I can't deny it, nor should I make an excuse for it. It was my fault, and I'm truly sorry."

He reached for the combat knife, and handed it to Hope. "You dropped this, by the way... Take it. Light gave it to you, right? Did you know that Serah gave that to Light for her birthday?" The boy shook his head. "Well, she bought it so it can protect her. And since Sis let you borrow it, you should be the one to hold onto it," he told. Hope kept his eyes fixated on it, wondering about what he should do with it.

They were in an open patio, where the entire city could be seen. "Listen Hope... I'll find a way to make things alright again. Just give me time..." He stopped at the center of the circle. "And... If you're still not satisfied... If nothing I do changes anything... I'll take whatever punishment you wish to give me."

"She's dead, Snow," interjected Hope. "Even if you acknowledge that it was your fault. Even if you take the blame, she's gone. And she'll never come back."

Snow hung his head, guilt and shame filling him. "I... I'm truly sorry..."

"But," started the boy. "I knew that all along. I just... I- I had to blame someone. By doing that, I thought I had a reason to continue fighting. To keep moving forward."

"If that's the case, then take it out on me," suggested the hero. "But until you do, keep yourself alive until then-" At that moment, Snow fell to the ground, as his body was at it's limit. Hope got on his feet, watching the man crawl to a nearby lampost, and using it to lift himself up. He caught his breath, trying to regain some energy. "You're still on your feet. That means you're okay," he said with his trademark grin. "Hold up a sec," he panted. "Just let me... Take a breather..."

Suddenly, a huge crashing noise was heard. They turned around, to see a sort of bipedal tank approaching them. It was colored in a white, yellow, and orange format, with black glass at it's cockpit. It had two mechanical legs that helped it move. The machine was filled with weapons from top to bottom. There were two bazookas that served as it's arms. Under the cockpit was a vulcan cannon, with a large amount of rounds. On the top right side was a huge plasma cannon with a long barrel, and on the left side was a missle launcher. This monstrous creation was made for warfare.

A huge intercom called to the two l'Cie. **"AHA! I've finally found you, l'Cie! There's no where left to run!" **it boasted."

Snow quickly rushed at it, ready to attack. "Don't worry, Hope! I'll take care of this guy-" He didn't finish, for he was kicked by the tank's ginormous legs. Snow was sent flying fast into a wall, where he lost conciousness on impact.

"SNOW!" called Hope. He ran to the man, making sure he was still alive. "Always trying to be the hero..." He got up and stood before the machine, with his Airwing boomerang in hand. "You better stay alive, Snow! Because I'm not about to let you die!"

The pilot of the war machine was laughing over the intercom. **"Do you truly believe that toy is a match for a weapon like this? What could a boy like you possibly do? You are nothing! If you really are in that much of a hurry to die, then I'll make sure you suffer a miserable, lonely and painful death!"**

Hope got into a fighting stance. He knew that taking on an entire tank would be difficult. But Snow's life depended on it. He had to stop it, even if it meant facing it alone. Luckily, he didn't have to. As he was ready to begin, three people stood by him, with their respective weapons ready. "Damn it, kid. How many times do I have to tell you to stay out of trouble?" Hope looked at both of his sides, to see his friends Nero, Lightning and the new woman.

"Where's Snow?" Lightning asked.

"He's unconcious, but safe. That is unless this thing gets to him,"he replied.

"You really think you're up to this, short stuff?"asked Fang.

"Don't worry about the kid. He's decent at this,"assured Nero. "When we're done here, this asshole won't know what hit him."

The pilot examined the new opponents. He instantly recognized two of them. Lightning Farron and him. **"YOU!"** The cockpit of the machine opened, revealing the identity of their attacker. He stood tall as he looked down upon the l'Cie. "Good to see that you're still alive, Ms. Farron. And I can never forget about you, boy!"

Nero growled to see that man. He knew this whole time that he would have to face him again. This was a long time coming. "LEUNAM!"

Ch. 16: The Truth Behind Nero

Seeking to exact his vengeance, Gaylor Leunam uses his terrible machine on the l'Cie. The group works together to protect their friend, Snow. On a seabus far away, Dante reveals the truth that surrounds Nero, and his recent endeavors.

**Thank you guys so much for the 50 reviews you've given to my story. We're that much closer to 100! PLEASE READ AND REVIEW! MERRY CHRISTMAS AND HAPPY NEW YEAR!**


	17. The Truth Behind Nero

**Capcom and Square-Enix own DMC and FFXIII respectively. AN: FFXIII-2 is out! WOO! For those who complain that XIII-2 sucks, JUST SHUT UP! Another FFXIII game, means another story from me! So you should be happy! Sorry for the delay guys. Had a bit of writer's block with this fight. Also, been busy playing Portable Ops and Peace Walker. Another piece of news, DMC HD Collection is coming out soon! So gotta look forward to that. Man, I'm so excited for this year! The only thing I can do is make you people excited as well.**

Palumpolum- The Truth Behind Nero

"Well, well. You remember my name after all of this time. I'm truly honored, boy," admitted Gaylor Leunam. He was on top of his battle mech as he faced Nero, Oerba Yun Fang, Lightning Farron, and Hope Estheim as they were protecting the unconscious Snow Villiers.

"Who the heck is this idiot?" asked the Pulsian native.

"That's Gaylor Leunam. A high ranking military official in the Sanctum army," explained Lightning. "And a pain in the ass."

Nero pointed Blue Rose at him. "What do you want, Leunam?"

He put his hand under his chins. "Hmm, let see. I want to be Field Marshall. After that, become Primarch and rule all of Cocoon. Oh, and of course... I WANT YOU TO DIE!" he proclaimed. "And the fact that I'm supposed to eliminate you on the spot, makes it even more better."

Nero growled at him. "Listen, we're in a huge hurry to get out of here. Our friend's hurt, for Pete's sake!" He cocked his gun. "So I'm only going to say this once. Get. Out. Of the way."

Gaylor only chuckled at his request. He then went on to laugh on hysterical and mockingly. He wiped his eyes. "You're telling me, _ME_, to stand aside?" He laughed at them again, angering the devil hunter even more. "You are in absolutely no position to ask anything from me! And it's all thanks to this very weapon!" he exclaimed, indicating the machine below him. "Behold! The newest addition to the Sanctum arsenal. A weapon, in which the design is based on the weapons used during the Insurrection."

Lightning's eyes widened at this. "What? You're using Insurrergent designs? That's forbidden!"

"I am the top director of PSICOM! I can do whatever I want!" he countered. "Now then. This weapon is armed with a laser cannon, missiles, two bazooka cannons, and a Gatling gun. The entire body is covered with a metal alloy, that is almost impenetrable. This weapon is the first of many others. The beginning of a new era of weaponry, that will give the Sanctum more power than it already does! L'Cie, I present to you, Terrain Unit: SUPRA!"

Nero wasn't impressed. The warmech looked like a cheap imitation of Metal Gear REX from those Metal Gear movies he always watched. "If you're done with your boring speech, I just wanted to let you know that it's gonna take more than a rust bucket to take us l'Cie down."

"Hmph. You say that just because you have magic on your side. But I will show that my weapon is superior to your tactics! You will kneel before me yet!" he assured. "I will do my duty as Sanctum soldier. And enjoy watching you scream in the face of death!"

"Oh, I'm shakin' in my boots! You've really got a way with words... Gaylord-"

"IT'S GAYLOR, YOU INCOMPETENT LITTLE FUCK!" he shouted, startling the entire group. "Only a few days have passed since our last encounter, and you're STILL that bratty, snot-nosed punk who thinks he can get away with anything. Well, I'll show you! I will exact my revenge! You will pay for taking away something from me. Something that I will never get back!"

Nero raised an eyebrow. "The heck are you taking about? I didn't take anything from you!"

"Au contraire." Gaylor took out a knife, and pointed it toward his right arm. He then used it to rip some of the fabric. When he was finished, he pulled out the sleeve, and lifted his right arm. But it wasn't his arm. In it's place was robotic arm covered with black metal. "Look at me, l'Cie! LOOK AT IT! Because you shot me back at the Purge, my mobility was greatly impaired. When the warmech landed, I was unable to escape the buzzsaw. My right arm was severed. Luckily, I survived, only to see that my right arm was replaced with a cybernetic enhancement. For the rest of my life, I have to live with this fake arm, BECAUSE OF YOU!"

"You idiot," scolded the soldier. "The Sanctum forbade the use of cybernetic enhancements. It's one of the reasons many lost their lives in the Insurrection! It will also impair your thinking!"

"Oh, spare me the lecture Ms. Farron. The times have changed. Those who do not keep up with progress, are destined to be destroyed by it. You are no exception."

"Hey, asshole! I've got a question, if you don't mind. I shot you. I shot you directly in the heart. Yet, by some miracle, you're still standing. I wanna know why," Nero demanded.

Leunam chuckled out loud. "Of course. I'll consider it as your final wish. Tell me. Have you ever heard of dextrocardia?" Nero shook his head. "I thought so. Not many people do. It is a rare condition, that is gained at birth. Basically, when one is born, their heart is always located at the left side of the body. But a person with dextrocardia has his or her heart on the right side of the body. Do you know what this means? You shot me, but didn't get my heart. I guess what your enemy doesn't know about you can't kill you."

"So all I had to do was be merciful, and shoot your left? Man, talk about bad karma," muttered the devil hunter.

"Indeed. You failed to kill me back at the Purge! Now I'll finish our little dispute, here and now! In other words..." He jumped back into his cockpit. Nero shot at him, but the bullets flew into the bullet-proof glass. Suddenly, the the sound of the machine starting was heard. **"TIME TO SAY GOODBYE!"**

Nero let out a battle cry, as he charged at the machine. He jumped upwards, attempting to get to the cockpit. However, the leg of the machine jolted upwards, trying to swat him away. Luckily, Nero planted his feet on it before it could make contact. He used the force of the machine to push himself off of it with his legs. He landed backwards, next to the others.

"Any ideas on taking this guy down?" asked the devil hunter.

Suddenly, the SUPRA began firing at them with its Gatling gun and bazookas. The l'Cie barely had time to react, yet they still dodged out of the way. Hope ran as fast as he could, dodging the bullets that trailing behind him. He dodge rolled behind a rubble of rocks. Fang was blasting the rockets from the the SUPRA, as well as swatting them away with her Bladed Lance. She was on her feet, so she was able to avoid the explosions. One of the missiles were headed straight for her. She turned around to see it had exploded a few feet away. She turned to see Hope, giving her a thumbs up as he caught his boomerang. She nodded back at him.

Nero and Light were firing at the oncoming missiles. Nero instantly heard the sound of oncoming bullets, moving towards him and the soldier. He quickly pulled her away, and rolled to the side. He growled as a bullet had made it to his shoulder, but he shook it off. He looked at their source, the Gatling gun. "'Bout time for you to shut down!" His Bringer conjured a Blizzara spell, and he threw it at the gun. The weapon instantly froze, thus stopping the crossfire. Not willing to let the ice to melt, he grabbed the gun with his Bringer. The half-demon pulled the weapon out, finally eliminating its threat. "That's a pretty cheap weapon you're betting on, Gaylord."

Gaylor cursed to himself. **"Oh yeah? TRY THIS!"**

The missile launcher pointed upwards, bringing heat-seeking missiles into the fray. "Freeze those missiles!" ordered the rogue soldier. The entire group casted their freezing spells at the missiles. Many of them were disabled on contact, but some where still approaching.

"Oh no, you don't!" exclaimed Nero. He swung his Devil Bringer to catch the remaining missiles. He looked the SUPRA and tossed them at it. The machine took an incredible amount of damage.

Gaylor was beyond pissed. His state-of-the-art weapon was being beaten by these people. No. These things! He has lost almost all of his weapons. He still has his main defense, the bazooka arms. And he still had his laser cannon. However, this would possibly mean endangering the very people of Cocoon. The people he is sworn to protect. Was it worth it? To use a very lethal weapon to kill enemies? At the possible cost civilians? It didn't take him that long to figure it out. "Acceptable losses. I'll give them a memorial in the city hall. First, I need to get them in a good position."

The SUPRA began firing at them continuously. Nero fired at the machine, mainly at the cockpit. If he got past that, Gaylor would be defenseless.

"Nero!" called the Pulsian woman. "Notice where he is?" She pointed at the edge of the area. Below was the edge, where a long fall awaited any who was foolish enough to jump off. The height would be enough to disable the machine.

He nodded. "I see what you mean. But we've got to find a way to push him back. Otherwise, we'll have to take him out manually!"

"There's no need," called Lightning. She then fired blasts of Blizzara at the bottom part of the right leg of SUPRA. This caused it to be stuck for a short period of time. Eventually, the machine pulled the leg out of the ice. It was then that everyone caught on to what the soldier was trying to say. The machine went backwards as it freed its leg.

The strategy was in place. The group continued to cast Ice-attacks at the machine. They only needed to do this four times. The SUPRA was by the edge. The l'Cie got in their fighting stances. "You're finished, Leunam!" shouted Nero.

Strangely, there where some claws on the feet of the mech, that dug themselves into the ground. Leunam was taunting them with a mocking laugh. **"No. It's YOU who's finished. You fell into my little trap! And this mistake will cost you your life!"**

The laser cannon pointed directly at the l'Cie. Nero's eyes widened when he saw a blue light inside. He had been charging his weapon while they had been pushing him back. "GUYS! GET BACK! GET BA-" The laser had already been shot. They all heard nothing, for there was a deafening screech, and a blinding light.

When the light subsided, and his sight had returned, Hope was on the ground. He looked at his surroundings. All around him was nothing but destruction. Nothing but rubble and flames. He was beyond scared at this point. Looming over it all was the SUPRA. He slowly crawled away from the monstrosity. Suddenly, he felt something soft. He turned around to see Fang, unconscious.

"Fang!" he called, pushing her body to wake her up. He did this for a few seconds until he heard a painful scream. He stood up to see that the warmech implanting its metallic foot on top of Nero. Blood was coming out of his mouth, seeing as he could not handle some of the weight. He could last for a few minutes, but the walker would eventually crush him. His Devil Bringer was pinned under the foot, as he was reaching for the Blue Rose with his human hand. Leunam then dragged the body backwards to further the gun from. This caused even more pain.

"NERO!" Hope looked at the ledge to see that Lightning was hanging on for dear life. If no one helped her, she would fall to her death.

A hissing sound was then heard. Leunam stood from the cockpit, looking down at Nero, who only shot him a defiant glare. "Well, well. Looks like you're the one in trouble this time." He took out a pistol and twirled it. "Killing you with the mech is a good idea. But then that would rob me of the honor of killing you myself. So, my nameless friend, you're out of options." He stopped twirling the gun and slowly aimed it at the former knight. "Ironic, isn't it? This all began with you shooting me. And now, with just one shot to the heart, I will end this. I am fairly certain your heart is on the left." Nero could only glare at him. But he was right. Either he shoots him, or the mech crushes him. The director cocked his gun. This was the end. "DIE, YOU FILTHY L'CIE!"

"HEY, GAYLORD!" Leunam looked at the boy who had called him, but it proved to be his mistake. When Leunam made eye contact with the boy, he heard a whirring sound. The next moment, he saw a flying knife heading towards him. It flew straight into his right eye. It took him a few seconds to realize what had just happened, but around that time, the damage had already been done. He let out a deafening screech as the unbearable pain consumed his right eye. He pulled out the knife and threw it to the ground below. Leunam tilted back in forth in pain. Unbeknownst to him, his foot had moved a lever. Nero felt the weight of the machine lifting himself off of him.

Nero gave a smirk. "You're going down." He Devil Triggered into his new form, and jumped into the air. He pulled his fist backwards. **"NOW DIE!"** He let the energy of his Bringer punch the mech. The force made Gaylor fall to the pilot's seat, but it was too late. The SUPRA tilted backwards.

Lightning watched the machine was in the air, falling past her down into the area below. Leunam was screaming as it fell. It was at this moment, that she noticed that she was losing her grip. She desperately reached for the ledge so she could pull herself up. Unfortunately, she lost her grip. Her eyes widened, as she reached out for the ledge that she was slowly falling away from. In that small moment, she closed her eyes. If she was going to die, she would do it thinking about the one person she cared about. Her reason to be. 'Serah... I'm sor-'

Her thoughts were disrupted as she felt a tugging jolt on her arm. She opened her eyes, to see Nero holding onto her with his Bringer. He flashed an assuring grin to her. Her only response was a sigh of relief.

Nero looked past her. Down below, the SUPRA was in flames. The smoke was so hazy, he didn't get to see Leunam's burning body. In fact, he didn't hear his screams anymore. He assumed that he was finally dead. The flames below would have incinerated him. "See you in Hell, Leunam."

He pulled the woman up easily. When she was finally safe, he sat on the ground, panting. She was on her knees, looking at the ground. She then looked at the devil hunter, who flashed her grin. Her eyes then trailed to the ground. The boy then saw what she was looking at, and slightly blushed. His Bringer hand was still holding hers. They both quickly made eye contact, and both removed their hands from each other.

There was abrief moment of silence between the two. Nero decided to break it. "I'm... I'm glad you're safe." She looked at the boy, and gave him a smirk.

"Hey guys! Get over here, quick!" They both looked at Hope and the now conscious Fang. They were pulling Snow out of some rubble. Both l'Cie ran over to them.

"How's he looking?" asked Nero.

"He's got a few bruises, here and there. But he's far from dead," answered Fang.

"Of course he is. He's too stubborn to die," replied the soldier.

"That's his best quality, right?" Nero remarked.

Nero turned his attention to boy. He handed him the knife that he used on Gaylor. He wiped it before. "What you did to Gaylord was pretty impressive, kid. So for this one time, I'll forget I heard you cuss."

Hope gave a short laugh as he scratched his head. The boy walked to Light, and handed her the knife, which he had cleaned. "So uh... I guess Operation Nora didn't quite work out-"

Suddenly, Lightning hugged the boy tightly. "I'm just glad you're okay," she assured.

"We're your friends, Hope," said Nero. "We look out for each other from now on. Deal?"

The silver-haired boy nodded at him. "Yeah... Deal. I'll try to look out for you guys too."

"Well, you can start by getting Mr. Hero, here, to the rendezvous point. He's a walking target out in the open," interjected Fang.

"You got a point. With all the ruckus the fight made, PSICOM's bound to be heading here now," stated Nero. "Hope, how long 'till we get to your place?"

"It's nearby. If we head up this road, we'll be there in no time," he explained.

"Hey kid. You remember what you gotta do?"

"I... Yeah. I know," the boy assured.

It took only two minutes to get to the Estheim residence. Once there, Hope hesitated to ring the doorbell. But he gained his confidence when he looked back at his friends. He took in a deep breath, and pushed the button. He waited for a few seconds, when the door slid open. On the other end was a man in a green uniform, with blond hair, and some glasses. This was Hope's father, Bartholomew. He gasped as he saw his son. He went to him and hugged him. "Hope, you're alright! What happened to you? Are you hurt?"

"Dad," the boy interjected. "Mom... She... Mom's gone."

-Boat to Nautilus-

Only half a day had passed since the boats had left the docks. The estimated time of arrival would be around nighttime. In cabin 102, the three fugitives were getting comfortable. Dante was on one side, using the entire seat to lay down. Opposite of him was Sazh, who was sitting upright. Vanille was fast asleep, leaning on the wall.

"Hey, Sash-"

"Sazh."

"Yeah, sure. How much longer do have to wait?" asked the bored demon hunter.

"Probably a few hours. I'd say four," he guessed.

"Ah," was his response. He looked up at the ceiling, still bored out of his mind. Dante then glanced at Sazh. The man looked at the ground. It seems he was worried. "Still thinkin' about your kid?"

The afro man sighed. "I was just thinking... What if he's already a crystal? How do I know he's safe?"

"You can't be thinking about stuff like that, old man. You gotta push those negative thoughts aside, and keep moving," advised Dante.

"But I just can't!" he blurted. "The kid's a l'Cie! Nobody knows what his Focus is. It may be that he has to die, or that he has to kill a Pulse l'Cie! I mean, he's just a little boy! Someone like him doesn't stand a chance..." He then eyed his pistols. "Maybe... That's why I joined the Purge. I thought that destroying something from Pulse was his Focus. Maybe it would save him... But as luck would have it, I got turned into a Pulse l'Cie... Who knows? If killing the fal'Cie was his Focus, then he's probably a crystal by now..." He hesitated. "But... What if his Focus was to kill that thing's l'Cie? If I die... Will I save my son? It's a pickle, alright. But..." The baby chick flew toward the man's palm. "The bird says no."

Dante chuckled. "You, my stressed out friend, need a beer to cool your nerves." Sazh was about to protest, but Dante had already pressed a speaker on the wall. "Hello, waiter? I need two bottles of beer at Cabin 102, pronto."

"Right away, sir."

"Dante, you don't understand. I don't drink, I can't be setting a bad example for my kid," explained Sazh.

"I only ordered two, Sazh. One for me, and one for you. I'm pretty sure one bottle ain't enough to get you drunk," he explained. At that moment, a male waiter entered, holding a tray with two bottles of beer. Dante got them and thanked the waiter. He passed one to Sazh. "Cheers!" he said before drinking it.

Sazh sighed. "May as well." He drank the alcoholic beverage.

Nearby, the same waiter made his way outside. When the coast was clear, he took out a phone from his pocket. "Colonel Nabaat? This is Agent Sazaki. I have visual confirmation of the l'Cie. We're currently headed towards Nautilus."

"Excellent," said a female voice on the other end. "The l'Cie's ability worked out perfectly. Your only obligation is to continue monitoring them. Understood?"

"Under-" He instantly stopped, as something was impaled his chest. He had only a few seconds of consciousness before he fell overboard.

The spy dropped the phone before he fell. The woman was calling out to him. "Hello? Hello? Sazaki, what's going on?"

The man sheathed his sword and put the phone to his ear. "You will not interfere, Ms. Nabaat."

Her eyes widened after hearing the voice. "Vergil? What are-"

"If you interfere, the next time you cross my path, will be the last moment of your life." The line went dead.

Jihl stroked the bridge of her nose. The rogue l'Cie was now involved.

Vergil dropped the crushed phone onto the ground, and made his way inside. He opened the door to Cabin 101. He sat down, and continued to meditate.

Back in Cabin 102, Vanille stretched herself as she woke up. She rubbed her eyes to see Dante and Sazh looking at her. "Well, well, good afternoon, sleepin' beauty. How was it?"

"I feel like a million gil, thank you," she responded.

"See, Sazh? You gotta be more positive, like Vanille." He laid down on the seat. "You gotta be careful with negative thinking. Do that, and you'll end up like the kid."

"Kid?" asked Sazh. "You mean Nero?" Dante nodded. "Why? What's wrong with him?"

Dante gave him a confused look. "Wait... You mean he never told you guys?" They shook their heads. "Huh. He showed you his arm, I thought he let you in on that."

"Let us in on what?" asked the girl.

"I don't know... He'd probably throw a fit if I told you." He then smiled at the thought. "Eh. Why not?"

He sat up, and looked at them. "As you both know, me and the kid aren't from this place. We come from a galaxy far, far away. In our world, we're demon hunters. I own a very successful business, called Devil Never Cry. I mean, this place is popular! There are people in lines waiting to get in. Mostly girls. And sometimes, guys just want to hang out and take notes from the most handsome, stylish devil hunter in all-"

"Uh, Dante? What's that gotta do with Nero?" asked Sazh.

"Huh? Oh yeah, I was telling a story, huh? Anyways, it all started for me here. At Devil Never Cry."

-Devil Never Cry, One Year Ago-

Dante slouched on his chair, his feet implanted on the trash filled desk, with a magazine covering his face. The shop was mainly empty save for Dante and two people. In the corner, his partner, Morrison, was fixing the television, on Patty Lowell's request. Said girl was screaming at Dante, for his laziness.

"HOW MANY TIMES DO I HAVE TO TELL YOU? NO ONE IS GOING TO COME HERE, IF THIS PLACE FILLED WITH TRASH!" she scolded.

"That's why you're here, right?" he replied. This annoyed her, and she decided to whack him with her mop. "Hey, knock it off! Stupid, kid..."

"She's got a point, Dante," added Morrison. "You should seriously consider doing some advertising or something. You can't keep living flat broke. Sooner or later, they'll threaten to take the place."

Dante put the magazine over his face again. "Let me worry about what happens to this place. We just need to keep doing jobs, and we'll be there in no time."

"Yeah. That is unless you keep destroying things during jobs!" scolded Patty. He only shrugged.

Suddenly, the door opened. Dante didn't bother looking at who it was, but Patty and Morrison saw the visitor, and thought that someone was playing games with them.

"Look pal, can we help you? If not then beat it. I have better things to do," was Dante's sole reply.

"Please. Is that anyway to say hello to your brother?" Dante's eyes widened. That voice. Only one person had that voice. He slowly removed the magazine to confirm his suspicions. They were true. Standing there examining the pool table was his presumed-dead brother, Vergil. "I see you run a babysitting service now. This is exactly how I pictured you would end up."

"Heh, well, you haven't actually been around that much, to tell me otherwise." He turned Patty. "Hey, kid. Go make some tea for our guest." Patty kept eyeing Vergil, but went into the kitchen, nonetheless. Dante motioned his brother to the couch. They waited for the tea. A few minutes later, Patty came with a tray of tea, and put it there for the brothers. Vergil took his cup and drank, in a gentleman-like way of course. Dante didn't even bother touching his. "So, bro, how've you been lately? You know, aside from being dead."

"Brother," started the older twin. "I did not come here for a visit. Though I am somewhat pleased that you are still true to your profession." Dante eyed his brother. He was trying to sense something.

"So... What are you doing here?" he asked.

Vergil stood up. "Where is it?"

Dante shrugged. "Where's what?" With swift speed, Vergil unsheathed Yamato, and pointed it at his brother's neck. "Tell me. I won't ask you again," he warned.

He smirked. "If by "it" you're talkin' about our dad's sword, then tough luck. I don't have it."

"What do you mean by that?" asked the Dark Slayer.

"Well see, there was this incident awhile back, where this old coot got his hands on Dad's sword. This made me realize that the sword presented a threat to humanity. Soo... I threw it down a portal during a job. Now, that sword is gone from evil's reach." he explained.

Vergil stood there, wondering what course of action to take. "In that case, give me back my part of the amulet."

Dante sighed. "Sold that too-"

He was kicked upwards, flipping his couch over. He tried to get up, but was stopped by the tip of Yamato. Its master looked calm and collected, but Dante could see he was glaring daggers at him. "What do you mean be that? And for your sake, I would be very specific."

He sighed again. "In case you haven't noticed, this place ain't exactly Buckingham Palace. I need money to keep this place goin'. I sold it, because I was pretty sure you weren't coming back. But not to worry. I only sold it about, uh, 2 weeks ago. Head north. Can't be far."

Vergil continued to glare at him. Finally, he sheathed Yamato, and made his way to the door.

"A question before you go," said Dante, as he dusted himself. "The last time I saw you, you didn't have Yamato back then. I assume you lost it. I wanna know how you got it back," he asked.

Vergil stood there for a few moments, before answering. "If you must know, I got it by defeating a half-human boy with a demonic arm." He looked at him over his shoulder. "Is that all?"

Dante nodded back, and he left the building. He sat there, waiting for when his brother's presence was gone. When it was, he turned to Morrison. "How fast can you get me a ticket to New Fortuna?"

-New Fortuna-

Dante was approaching a tree. Underneath it was Nero. This grave belonged to his Kyrie. The one who had been killed three days ago. Dante stood next to him. He let out a heavy sigh. "Soo... Sorry for not showing up to the wedding..." No reply. "Heard it was pretty crazy..." Still nothing. He sighed. "Listen, kid. I'm gonna be here for a while. If you wanna hit me up, you know where I-"

"He looked like you."

Nero got up and faced him. "He looked almost exactly like you. Why?"

Dante reluctantly sighed. "The man responsible for this... Is my brother."

The boy's eyes widened. "What? Wait up. You told me your brother was dead!"

"Yeah, well. Apparently he's back. By some miracle, he came back from the-"

"MIRACLE? You think all of this was a MIRACLE?" shouted the boy.

"Listen, kid. I only came to see what the damages were," he responded. "Now you know what my brother is capable of. Look, I'll deal with Vergil. You've already been through enough."

Dante began to walk away, but Nero cut him off. "Hell no! You're not dealing with him. I am! I have the right!"

"What the- Kid, are you listening to yourself? You saw, firsthand, that you stand no chance against him! I know you're going through a tough time, right now. But trust me when I say that you can't do this!" explained the Son of Sparda.

"Then... Then train me! You know how he fights, right? I can go do jobs with you! Learn how to face him by watching how you fight! Please, just let me!"

Dante grabbed his collar. "Listen kid! Say you do kill him. Say, by some miracle, you did send him back to Hell. What then? You're only doing this because you want to kill him. Once you do it, you'll have nothing!"

Nero pulled on Dante's collar, with a face of fury. "I! HAVE! NOTHING!"

Dante only stared at him, before leaving the distraught boy to himself. Nero fell on his knees, purposeless. "Hey kid!" Nero turned around, just to catch a sort of necklace. He examined the red jewel in the middle, and looked back at Dante. "Wear that, and eventually you'll find him. Or he'll find you. Either way, it'll lead you to him. Pack up, because I ain't waiting for you."

-Present Time-

"That's awful!" cried a sobbing Vanille.

"Wow. Didn't know the kid had it hard," added Sazh.

"That ain't even the worst of it," replied Dante. "What worries me is what will happen to the kid when the time comes. He might end up getting killed, or killing himself. If he keeps it up, he won't get a happy ending."

Vanille looked out of the window. She closed her eyes, and crossed her fingers and pinkies, praying for the the young Nero. Wherever he was.

Ch. 17: What Defines a Monster 

The group is able to find sanctuary in the Estheim residence. Though they obtain a moment of peace, it is short lived. As the l'Cie try to plead their case, Col. Yaag Rosch brushes it aside. Howver, a new enemy will widen the confrontation, giving the heroes an even harder ordeal to overcome.

**PLEASE READ AND REVIEW!**


	18. What Defines a Monster

**Capcom and Square-Enix own DMC and FFXIII respectively. AN: REALLY LOOKIN' FORWARD TO KH3D! Props to whoever can guess which games are these. :)**

Palumpolum- What Defines a Monster

_"I don't believe it! For the first time in ages, the Besaid Aurochs win the Cup, leaving the Luca Goers second-"_

"No."

_"Do you, Lord Rasler of Nabradia, take Her Royal Majesty, Princess Ashelia B'nargin Dalmasca -"_

"No."

_"According to recent reports, there are rumors that many people were transported down here, another one of the Shinra Company's-"_

"No." For the past hour, Nero had been lying down on the sofa in the living room, flipping through the channels on the huge HD T.V., finding no program worth watching. "You'd think with over a thousand channels, you'd find something interesting."

At that moment, Fang snatched the control from him, not that he cared since something boring was on. She changed the channel to Cocoon News; CN for short.

_"And now, an update on the situation in Palumpolum."_ Nero sat up, finally hearing something urgent. _"The rogue l'Cie continue their desperate flight, and the military has launched an all-out campaign to terminate them."_

"Desperate flight? Is that their excuse for laziness?" remarked Nero.

_"Roughly twenty-five hundred civilians, who believed to have come in contact with the l'Cie, are currently being held in quarantine by the Sanctum. Our latest insta-poll blog has shown a vast majority in favor of the immediate Purging of these individuals, believing their treatment-"_

"WHAT!" shouted the enraged half-demon. "Don't they realize they're sending those people to their deaths?"

"Apparently. Why worry about others, if they keep themselves safe?" said Fang.

"It isn't right!" growled Nero. "No one should be forced to die unless they choose it honorably."

"You sayin' you support suicide?"

"Wha- No! I mean, if someone should die for the greater good, give them a choice, instead of sending them off like nothing!" he explained.

"Well, the only way you can make sure that happens is if you take on that entire army by yourself. Otherwise, those people are screwed," she said.

"It's not right..." muttered Nero. "All of this pointless bloodshed..."

He was fuming to himself when Fang noticed a picture. It depicted the boy, Hope, his father, Bartholomew, and another woman, the mother. "So this is the kid's whole family?"

Nero then turned to where she looked. Eyes wide, he stood up, and walked over to the picture. Next to the family portrait was a photo of the mother. "Yep," said Nero solemnly. "This is the kid's mom. Her name was Nora... She was killed in the Purge..." Fang gave him a sympathetic look. "Most of us were there at the time. That's how we got caught up in this whole l'Cie crap; but I bet Snow already told you this. We were both there, y'know. Saw her die right before she fell to Lake Bresha. I guess, it was good, since she was killed before the fall. Before she died though, she told me and Snow to protect her son to make sure he got home safely." He examined the photo of Nora. "I kept my promise... You can rest easy now..."

After an awkward moment of silence, Fang spoke up again. "So... How's Mr. Hero?"

Nero shrugged. "Dunno. Haven't checked on him for a while. I'll go see what's up."

With that, Nero made his way towards Snow's room. While walking, he thought to himself. 'Nora Estheim... Just who are you? And more importantly, how did she know me? Maybe... Maybe Mr. Estheim can explain what she meant...'

Speaking of the Estheims, Bartholomew was sobbing to himself in a nearby room. Nero decided to hear their conversation. "N- Nora... I can't believe it... She's gone... My sweet Nora..."

Hope sat on the seat to the man's left. He sat there silently, as he watched his father pour his heart out. "Dad..." he hesitated. "I, uh... I know..." He sighed to himself and stood up. "I'll... I'll be in my room." Nero moved away a few feet, but the boy stopped right before the door. "We're all gonna rest up here... And then we'll leave..." Bartholomew stopped crying after hearing this, looking at his son in surprise. "I- It's for your safety. If the Sanctum finds out you're sheltering l'Cie they'll-"

Suddenly, Bartholomew slammed his fist into the table in front of him, growling as he did so. "I doesn't matter!" he snapped. "You are my son! And this... Is your home."

The boy slowly turned to his father, his eyes giving away his surprise. He continued to stare at the man, but finally let go of the breath he didn't know he was holding. The boy slowly made his way to the man, who gestured him to sit next to him. He did so, and when he did, the man put his hand on the boy's shoulder. When Hope looked at Bartholomew, he was giving him a loving and reassuring grin. The look of a father. "My son..."

Nero smirked, happy to know that those two were going to be alright. Knowing there was nothing more to be heard, he finally made his way to Snow's room. Before he entered, he knocked twice and slowly pushed the door open. He peered his head in, to see Lightning, leaning on a table while listening to the newscast, and Snow, shirtless but covered in bandages, resting on the bed. From the looks of it, he was still out cold. Lightning looked up at the former knight who walked in.

"So how's Mr. Troublemaker, here?" asked Nero.

"He's still out like a lamp. But if he rests, he should recover in no time," explained.

Nero nodded in response. His eyes then trailed to the television screen, where the anti-l'Cie report was being shown. The boy scowled to himself. "Can you honestly believe that they want those people Purged?"

"It's the way things have always been," answered the girl. "As long as they have another day without a war with Pulse, they'll do anything."

"That still doesn't justify their decisions," he responded. "The government has an obligation to protect it's people. A wise man once said that if a government fails to protect it's people, or in this case endangers them, then the people have a right to overthrow it, and create a new government."

"Yeah, but how are you going to convince billions of people to overthrow their government, who not only has armed soldiers and machines, but wild animals as well!" she countered. "Listen, I know it's not your world. But here, the Sanctum uses fear to control these people. As long as the people of Cocoon don't get over their fear, no change is coming whatsoever."

Nero sighed out his frustrations, but then a question came to his head. "So what about you, soldier girl? Are you afraid of the Sanctum?"

"Of course not," she quickly snapped. "It's true, things are difficult right now. But there's no reason to show fear. When the battle's over is when you show fear for the things that are important."

"But you don't even do that, do you?" interjected Nero.

Lightning closed her lips, seeing he was right. "What about you, hotshot? I know you were afraid. You almost got crushed by that thing."

Nero nodded. "I ain't gonna lie to ya, girly. I was indeed scared... A bit." Light scoffed in response. "I was afraid, because I thought we might've lost someone today. I was scared 'cause I thought the kid might get hurt." He paused before speaking again. "I was scared of losing you." Lightning quickly looked at the man, who quickly shrugged. "'Cause y'know, how am I supposed to tell Serah you got crushed by a Gaylord?" She glared daggers at him and threw a pillow at his face, which he quickly ducked to dodge. "Easy! I was kidding! But seriously though, it's good you're not dead. What would we do without you?" he did in a mock tone. This earned him a pillow to the face.

"Ugh..." They both turned to the bed, to see Snow waking up. He had trouble sitting up, as he groaned doing so.

"Hey! Lay down," she ordered.

Snow let out a heavy sigh and fell back into bed. "All right," was his response.

Nero and Light sat down next to the bed. "So how're you doin' hero?" asked Nero.

"I feel like I got ran over by a Sanctum ship," he answered.

"Yeah well, that's what getting a huge ten-ton kick to the face feels like," joked Nero. This caused Snow to chuckle, as well as Nero. Lightning remained silent.

Snow looked at the knife in her hand. "So I see you took the kid's toy away."

She scratched her head in slight embarrassment. "Yeah... Well, he kinda gave it back. Told me that he didn't need it anymore."

"Not that he needed it in the first place!" scolded Nero.

Snow smirked to himself. "Huh... Well go figure..."

Lightning's gaze shifted to the ground. "I... couldn't handle it..."

Both men looked at her. "What do you mean?" asked Snow.

"What happened to Serah... It was too much for me. The only thing going through my mind was, "What could I have done?" I... I hated myself for what I did. For not trusting her. It hurt me so much, that I couldn't face it." She then looked at Snow, straight in the eyes to get her point across. "Look Snow... I... I'm sorry... Forgive me."

Snow stared at her, unsure if what he just heard was said. When it came to Snow, she was never sorry. Yet, she just said it right now. He was probably dreaming. Then again, if it was a dream, Serah would be there. "Sorry?" he asked. "For what?"

She instantly stood up, and looked away. "For everything."

Snow sighed to himself, and remained silent. Then a thought came to him. He looked at her with his trademark grin. "I suppose I could... If you told me your name."

She turned to him, with a smirk on her face. "Tell Serah to tell you. I mean, when she comes back." She then made her way out. But before she did, she took a shot at the devil hunter. "Plus, Nero's not special to me yet."

As she left, the hero stared in surprise at the half-demon, who threw his arms into the air after hearing that. "Whoa... What'd she mean by that?"

"She's just tryin' to piss me off," Nero answered as he shaked his head with a smirk on his face.

Then there was a knock at the door. Both men turned their attention to the boy in the doorway. "Hey guys... My dad says he wants to meet you guys. He wants to talk about what's going on."

Nero nodded. "Hey, kid. Tell your dad to meet me by that huge window. I need to speak with him. It's something I've wanted to ask him." Hope nodded, and left the room. "Get changed, Snow. It'll be difficult speaking to the guy if he's speaking with a half-naked man in the room." Before Snow could ask why he wanted to speak with Bartholomew alone, Nero already left the room.

Nero stopped by the huge window. He looked to his right to see that most of the group was there, waiting for Mr. Estheim and him. He stared outside, looking to see if anyone was outside. Strangely, there were dark clouds in the sky. They looked very similar to thunder clouds. Looking back, there weren't many clouds in the sky when they arrived. And there was something ominous about them as well. Something very ominous...

"Excuse me?" Nero looked to his right, and noticed that Bartholomew was standing next to him. "Hope told me you wanted to ask me something before speaking with the rest of the group."

"Yeah that's right..." He continued to stare at the clouds, before finally turning to him. "Mr. Estheim... Do we... Know each other? I mean- Have we ever met before? It sounds ridiculous, I know, but please answer it."

The man took a good look at him, and thought to himself. After delving through his thoughts, he shook his head. "Forgive me, but I do not know you. I don't know if we met at a convention, or local group meeting, but I don't think I've ever met you before today."

"Well, you wouldn't find me in any of those meetings. You see... I wasn't born on Cocoon... Or Pulse. I come from another world," explained the half-devil.

"Oh... Well, in that case, I don't see why anyone here would know you at all."

"That's the problem..." he added. "You see... I was there... When your wife died..." Bartholomew stiffened slightly. "Before she died, she told me something. She said that she knew me. That she was glad to see me... For the last time... If I'm from another world, how does someone from this world know me?"

Bartholomew closed his eyes in thought. It took three minutes for him to answer. "I'm not sure... But maybe... Maybe it's because you reminded her of someone she knew."

"Huh? What do you mean?"

"Back in the days during the Insurrection, twenty-two years ago, she had a friend who fought for the Sanctum. Maybe she must have mistaken you for him. I could see why. You two bear a striking resemblance."

Nero raised an eyebrow. "Interesting... Can you describe him for me?"

"I'm sorry. It has been a long time since I saw him. He sort of- dissapeared after the war..." He then looked outside of the window, remembering days long past. "But enough about this. C'mon. Let's meet up with your friends."

Nero began walking with Mr. Estheim. In his head more questions popped into his head. Nora didn't mistake him. She knew him. But how? That was a question that would have to continue being unanswered. For now the task at hand was important. He sat down next to Snow as the meeting began.

Well, actually no one said anything at first. But Snow suddenly fell forward on his knees. He had his down in shame. "Blame me, sir! It's my fault... I couldn't save her..."

"Damn it, Snow!" blurted Nero. "I was there too! I couldn't save her, either..."

"But you were shot!" he countered. "I had her within my grip... And I lost her..."

Bartholomew only gave a heavy sigh. "If- If it wasn't for them... I wouldn't be here..." explained Hope.

Mr. Estheim then looked at the man. "Did- Did she say anything to to you?"

"She... Hope. She told me... And Nero to get him home..." he explained.

Bartholomew closed his eyes. "And... You've done just that... For this, I thank you." Everyone let out a relieved sigh, knowing there was no bad blood between the man and them. "Still, it's hard to believe that you people are supposed to dangerous fugitives.'

"That's just some crap the Sanctum made up, to give them a reason to hunt us," said Fang.

"But the entire world is scared to death of you l'Cie," he responded. "And not just you. People who have helped you. Made contact with you. And sometimes walked by you, even. They believe that they are all "tainted," and want everyone of them Purged immediately," he scowled.

"The Sanctum's nothing more than puppets of the fal'Cie!" blurted Snow. "To them, our lives mean nothing to them. But we'll stop them... We'll stop the Sanctum, and save Cocoon!"

"And you've thought that through?" asked Bartholomew. Snow's energy quickly died. "If the Sanctum is destroyed, Pulse-phobia will get ten times worse. And won't end there. People will take arms against you. Imagine it. Rampaging violence."

"I see," said Lightning. "When the government loses power, the citizens will revolt."

"So what does that mean?" asked Fang. "We just stand there, and get executed?"

"I don't get it," muttered Nero. "Why don't the people govern themselves? That way, the government functions for the people, and would have less chance of falling apart." He then looked up at Hope's father. "There's another problem. If the Sanctum finds out you're helping us, they will not hesitate to Purge you. Or worse."

"I'm aware of that," assured the man. "I'm on your side. You know, harborer of l'Cie, public enemy."

Hope shook his head. "We shouldn't have come here. It was a bad idea."

The man only patted his arm. "This is your home, nonetheless." He then stood up. "Seeing as how we're all in the same boat, let's figure a way out of this together."

Nero smirked to himself. He took a short glance at Hope, who was smiling. He knew that his father would support him. No matter what.

Suddenly, the lights started going off. Everyone was on their feet when they shut down. The only light was Nero's Bringer, which was under his right sleeve. Said person quickly shushed everyone. He closed his eyes, to heighten his other senses. It was a useful technique when demon hunting. He instantly heard footsteps by the main window.

"Oh, shit," he muttered. "They found us."

"Heads up!" warned the soldier, as the glass on the ceiling broke.

Suddenly, gas grenade blew up, letting out their toxic fumes. Everyone began coughing, as they covered their mouths to not inhale the gas. Nero covered his mouth with his Bringer arm. The sound of the huge window breaking was heard. They all turned around to see PSICOM Scavengers moving towards them, guns at the ready.

"Hope," called Snow. "Take your dad to the bac-" He then began coughing, as his mouth was not covered.

Hope rushed up to him. "No! You're not ready for this! Take care of my dad!" Snow glanced at the boy, before clasping his hands with the boy, both smirking to each other. With that, he joined the fight.

Hope heard then a cocking sound behind him. He turned to see a soldier, ready to fire at him. Luckily, Nero swooped his arm around the soldier's neck, and tossed him over his shoulders to a wall. The grunt lost consciousness instantly at contact. Nero gave Hope a quick thumbs up, which he returned. Then, Nero noticed another soldier aiming for him. He retaliated, by kicking the huge couch in the middle. The force of the kick caused it to slide across the room. It sweeped the remaining soldiers to the wall, finishing it off. Unfortunately, they weren't the only ones finished off.

"Dude! You broke my T.V.! My 50 inch plasma T.V.!" exclaimed the boy.

"Ah. There was nothing good on, anyway," replied Nero.

He went in the other room, to see if Snow and Bartholomew were safe. "Everything okay here?"

"Is- Is it over?" asked Bartholomew.

"How's everyone?" asked Snow.

"Fine. Light and Fang don't let up. And the kid's tough," he replied.

He led them back into the hallway to meet up with the others. Snow stopped him, as a light was shining down from the sky. A PSICOM cruiser kept the spotlight for a few more seconds, before hovering elsewhere. Across from them were the other l'Cie. In a quick gesture, Lightning signaled them to get over there. The three men move hastily, but a light shined on them. Thinking quickly, Nero shoved them to the other side with his Bringer. The next moment, he was pelted with bullets. He was shot in his shoulder and his head, the latter sending him to the floor. Fang and Bartholomew's gasped at the sight, while the others were less shocked.

"Hurry up, already!" called Light.

Surprisingly, Nero got up. "I'm comin', I'm comin'!" he hastily snapped.

He slid to the ground where he was reaching for his shoulder. "Bu- Bu- But I... I saw-" stuttered Bartholomew.

"Long story short, it takes more than bullets to the head to kill me. Right, Lightning?" The girl rolled her eyes.

"What was that all about? The hell were you thinking?" snapped Fang.

"I was thinking they were gonna miss," he replied nonchalantly. He let out a growl as he pulled out the bullet from his shoulder. Bartholomew looked ready to throw up.

"Looks like somebody ordered a battalion," remarked Fang.

"They'll blow up the building, next," added Lightning.

"Hope you guys have insurance," remarked Nero. He still couldn't reach for the bullet in his head. "Light, let me borrow your knife."

She turned to him with incredulous eyes. "What?"

"Just do it!" he snapped. She let out a sigh, handed it to him. He took a few deep breaths, before using it to reach for the bullet. Bartholomew quickly put a hand over his mouth.

"Dad, are you alright?" asked Hope.

He gulped. "Yeah... Still in one piece..."

Snow crawled next to Lightning, and looked outside. "Alright... It's my turn." He then stood up, took off his trench coat. He then unbuttoned his shirt. His bare chest and bandages were in the open. Snow leaned against the wall, and took deep breaths. He lifted the coat, and showed it out into the open. Instantly, a flurry of bullets were hitting the coat dead on.

"Don't shoot!" called Snow. "I'll show you what a l'Cie looks like!" The soldiers must have heard him, because they stopped firing. He dropped the coat on the floor, and raised his arms over his head. Snow slowly walked into their view, and he was instantly met with targeting lasers. He stood before them, a fearless look on his face, even when two lasers pointed at his head.

"Yeah, that's right! I'm a l'Cie. An average guy. You guy's expecting a monster?" he asked. "I'm flesh and blood, just like all of you! An ordinary citizen of Cocoon! This place has been my home our whole lives! What could compell us to even think about destroying it? We want to protect this place, just as much as you!" he reasoned.

Apparently, this managed to get their attention. Soldiers whispered among themselves, wondering if killing the man before them was the right thing to do.

"You must be Snow Villiers," deduced a voice from behind the squadron. Nero's wounds began healing quickly after he pulled the bullet in his head. He crouched next to Lightning, trying to get a good look at who spoke. A man in a green uniform walked out, facing Snow. His uniform was exactly like Gaylor's, so that meant he was the other director in charge.

"Yaag Rosch, PSICOM Division," he greeted. "I understand your plight. However, The Pulse threat is not so easily dismissed. The very existence of you l'Cie puts every last one of us in danger. Tell me," he raised his arms to gesture around him. "Do you really think your lives are worth more than the lives of millions of Cocoon citizens? I do not think so. Therefore, it falls to me to order your execution. It's that simple. It is my responsibility to see you put down," he explained.

Nero growled to himself. 'Responsibility? Responsibility of what? Making sure that innocent people are senselessly sacrificed for "the greater good?" Hell no!' He stood up and gave the knife back to Light. "I'll be back," he muttered.

Rosch turned around. "Your lives are forfeit."

"Cut the bullshit, pal!" shouted Nero, who was instantly met with the lasers of many guns. Yaag turned around, not taking his eyes off his right arm.

"You want l'Cie? Then go kill l'Cie! Why the hell do other people have to die, huh? Who the hell do you people think you are?" he challenged.

"Who are you to come here to say anything, creature?"

Nero growled. "What'd you call me?"

"I am merely stating the obvious. And the obvious is that you have no right to speak, monster."

He was infuriated even more. "You better watch your-"

"It is because of you that the people live in fear."

"That's not-"

"Without the Sanctum, there would be no way to stop monsters like you from terrorizing the people.'

"No- You don't-"

"Your existence is a threat to this world. That is enough proof that what we are doing is just."

Nero was silenced. His hands were literally shaking. "Just? You wanna talk about what's just?" He looked directly into Rosch's eyes. Nero's gaze was not full of anger or hate. It was the first time he showed seriousness.

"Take a look at this arm," he said indicating his Bringer. "A few years ago, a monster did this to me. Days later, the wounds became this thing you see here. And because of this, you people think it's okay to call me a monster." He stepped forward even more, his fearlessness showing. "For the last few years, I have fought and killed monsters. To make sure that what happened to me does not happen to anyone else. That's me. The monster."

"And then there's you guys," he continued. "The people chose you to protect them. Your responsibility is to the people of Cocoon. You're supposed to ensure their safety... And what do you do?... You kill them. You find some random excuse, and kill them."

Rosch was becoming irritated, but he didn't show it. "You send people away, on a promise that they'll live. You Purge them from their own homes! You don't care about whether or not these people survive! I've seen it for myself! I was in Bodhum when I saw hundreds of people die, by your hands!" He pointed directly at Rosch. "I'm not the monster, here. YOU ARE! THE PURGE HAS TO END!"

"Do you really think we want to Purge our own people?" shouted Rosch. "If any trace of Pulse remains, the populace will erupt into chaos! Without sacrifrice, without the Purge, Cocoon will die!"

"Oh, it'll die! It'll die, because you all decided to kill yourselves! It doesn't have to be this way! Stop this, before it gets out of hand!" he pleaded.

Suddenly, smoke grenades were thrown over Rosch, and sent a cloud of toxic gas.

"Who- *cough* Who fired? I gave no orders!" shouted Rosch.

The clouds above gave out thunder. Suddenly bolts of lightning were fired at the troops. The nearby cruiser was destroyed by a bolt. Rosch turned around, to see a soldier pointing his gun at him. "N- No-" Shots were then fired.

Nero was covering his mouth, when his arm started to go off. "No,no,no,no,no,no,no,no! Why now?" He turned around to see the others had joined him. "Guys... We've got a demon alert."

"What! Why now?" asked Hope.

The clouds then parted, and from them, a huge ray of lightning struck the ground. The covered their eyes to block the brightness. When they opened them, the demon was before them, crouching on the ground. It was covered in grey distorted armor, similar to that of a samurai. On its back was a sheath with a katana. Its head was a huge wild burst of electricity. Its face was the top face of a skull, without the bottom jaw. It slowly stood up from its position, and its eyes then turned red, indicating it was looking at them.

**"You are the chosen l'Cie, are you not?"** it asked in a distorted, yet calm voice.

"We're l'Cie, yeah. I thought they were all chosen?" asked Snow.

**"True. But you all are a special exception."** It then glanced at Nero. **"You. I smell the blood of a demon from you. I smell my master, Sparda."**

Nero walked forward. "Wait. Sparda was your master?"

**"Yes. I learned to control most of my demonic lust for bloodshed, thanks to him. I... I owe my life to him. I have since then vowed to uphold his morals."**

"So that means... You respect humans?" asked Nero.

**"Yes. That is correct."**

"Then why are you here?" asked Lightning. "You just decided to help us out?"

**"No,"** he responded. He reached for his back, and grabbed the hilt of the sword. **"My duty is to test you."** He unsheathed his sword. **"That is my duty, as Raiden, the thunder god of the Demonic Realm."** The demon got into a fighting stance. **"Show me, blood relative of Sparda. Show me what he saw, when he turned against demon kind."**

Everyone got into a fighting stance, except Snow. Hope stopped him. "No! You stay here," he ordered. "I'll get some hits for you!"

From behind, a cruiser tried to flank them, but Raiden swung his sword. An electrical wave of energy sliced right through.

However, before it exploded, a black blur jumped off of it. The blur could be seen as the ship exploded. It landed behind the l'Cie. It had very high tech armor, but it looked similar to PSICOM and the Guardian Corps. This showed that the soldier was male. It's shoulder guards were like the Sanctum army, highlighted with red. Its helmet was a huge black visor, covering the entire face. The soldier looked up at the l'Cie. He reached for a small baton, and pressed a button. Instantly, the weapon was ignited with a red light. It was shaped as a katana.

The l'Cie had two katana-wielding enemies to face. "Aw, fuck," muttered Nero.

Ch. 18: Double Duel

Raiden, the thunder pupil of the Legendary Dark Knight Sparda. Nero and Lightning face off against the samurai demon, while the others contend against the new enemy. Who will stand victorious in this battle, in which neither side is willing to back down? Will the duel reduce our the group's chances of escape?

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	19. Double Duel

**Capcom and Square-Enix own DMC and FFXIII respectively. AN: Spring Break is near! And with it, KH3D videos on Youtube! I've also seen videos of Asura's Wrath, and Street Fighter X Tekken. My video game list keeps growing everyday! I'm gonna try to do something new. People who ask questions on reviews, I will answer them on my profile. So if you guys want answers, look there. Enjoy!**

Palumpolum- Double Duel

It may as well have been a western standoff.

The five l'Cie, Nero, Lightning, Hope, Fang, and Snow stood in the middle of Hope's backyard. On both sides of them stood their enemies. On one side, was the demonic thunder god, Raiden. The demon's stance was hardened, as it faced them. It scoped them out, seeing which l'Cie would be its opponent.

One the other side, was the black armored soldier. He was crouched near the ground, holding his glowing katana in a reverse stance, and looked up at them. In his visor, he was locking onto the targets, identifying them with the unusual energy spikes that were coming from them. They were all in different parts of their body, the chest, arm, bicep, wrists. These were his targets. The Pulse l'Cie. And they were to be eliminated.

Nero and Light faced the demon, while behind them Fang and Hope faced the soldier. In between them was Snow, who clutched his chest in pain. All five exchanged glances. Not even speaking, they nodded to each other in silent agreement. They then looked at their opponents, still rooted to their spots. This remained this way for another few seconds, or so. Above, the dark clouds covered the night sky. Suddenly, lightning stuck the city of Palumpolum. The duel had begun.

Nero and Lightning charged at Raiden, while Fang charged at the soldier, with Hope close behind. Nero swiped at the demon, while it blocked him. From left and right, Nero unleashed a flurry of slashes, pushing the demon backwards. However, Raiden was Sparda's former pupil for a reason. The demon's hardened stance provided him with a solid defense. Nero did a horizontal swing, followed with a vertical one to cross swords with it. It held his gaze, before looking closely into his pupils. From behind, Lightning was ready to attack. Using the force Nero was using to push his sword, the demon moved his sword sideways, and allowed Nero's sword to block Lightning's gunblade.

The demon swung for Nero, but he quickly rolled under the katana before it could strike him. Lightning rushed to the samurai demon, swiftly clashing her blade with its katana. She lunged for it, but it swung his sword to push her gunblade with Nero's Red Queen.

Both Nero and Light attacked from both sides. Nero swiped his Red Queen left and right in a flurry of strong strikes. Lightning moved gracefully as she lunged and swiped her Blazefire Saber at the demon. However, they still were not landing a scratch on the demon. Raiden blocked them with careful precision. When Nero lunged at him, all the demon needed to do was strike with the same amount of force as the former knight. As soon as it did that, Raiden would step sideways to let the Sword of Thunder push the girl's gunblade to the other direction. The three continued their swordplay so quickly, that their strikes created a circle of sparks surrounding the demon.

Raiden decided that it had enough, and ducked both of their swipes. Both l'Cie's swords unintentionally crossed with each other. The demon did a handstand and charged his legs with electricity. It kicked both Lightning and Nero backwards with a electric charged kick. They both slid backwards, before looking back at the demon. It pushed itself of the ground and easily landed on it's feet. Raiden swung its sword into the air before returning to its fighting stance.

Cursing to himself, Nero glanced at Lightning, who gestured to the demon. Nero and the woman nodded to each other and both charged it. The demon hunter revved his sword his sword to its full extent, while the soldier used as spell to cover her blade with water. Running at the same speed, Nero and Lightning clashed swords with the demon at the same time. Holding itself of against two elementally powered swords, Raiden charged the weapon with the electricity from its body. The demon pushed both l'Cie away, and faced Nero. Raising the sword into the air, the demon allowed it to be struck by thunder. Looking directly at the half-demon, it swung its sword downwards, sending a pillar of electricity towards him. Nero had no time to evade it, and was directly attacked. The force of the spell sent him flying back to the wall of the house. He lost consciousness as he fell to the floor.

Lightning looked up at Nero. Growling, she glanced at the demon samurai that was approaching.** "I am your opponent now, Chosen."**

She got up, and raised her sword, and changed it into a gun. She fired at the demon, who swiftly blocked them by swiping at them as they approached. Inside, she was glad he didn't block them like Vergil. Knowing that this was not doing much, she launched a Watera spell at it. Raiden jumped into the air, and landed on a thunder strike, as he ran to her, every step it took, it ran on the lightning. It raised its sword as it lunged for her. She jumped back and threw something into the air. While it was running in the air, she reached for the pink crystal rose in her mark. She shot it with her Blazefire Saber, and called forth her Eidolon, Odin. The white knight landed next to the l'Cie, eyeing the demon god. Lightning smirked. "Let's go, Odin!" They both charged at the demonic samurai.

Meanwhile, Fang was fending off against the Dark Soldier. His fighting style was similar to the demon's, except he held his sword in reverse. She was blocking the red light katana with both sides of her Bladed Lance. Whoever the soldier was, he was a well trained fighter.

The Soldier caught Fang off guard, landed a hard roundhouse kick to her face. She was sent to her side, dazed at the hit. She quickly got her lance, and blocked the sword that was aiming for her. Deciding this was pointless, the Soldier pulled his sword back, and pointed it downwards to impale her.

Before it could, however, a boomerang flew in and pushed the sword out of the way. The Soldier looked at the Airwing as it flew back to Hope. Taking advantage of this distraction, Fang blasted him with Fira. The Soldier was sent back a few feet, but quickly regained his footing. He quickly raised his sword, and charged for them again. Fang blasted Blizzard at his feet, but he jumped before it could stop him. In mid-air, he kicked Fang back into a wall, knocking her unconscious.

Hope gasped when he saw the Soldier rushing to him. He swung at Hope, but the boy ducked to the side as it came. From left and right, Hope dodged his swipes. Whether or not it was because of his l'Cie status, he was able to move swiftly. When he saw an opening, Hope threw Fira at the Soldier's face.

Hope gave an short laugh. "Yeah! Not so tough no-"

Hope was kicked to the side of his face by the soldier. He was sent back to the wall, right next to Fang. He rubbed his head, which was throbbing in pain. He looked up at the soldier, to see he had sheathed his sword. Instead, he was reaching for two guns that were on the ground, and cocked them. They were loaded. Hope quickly grabbed Fang and dragged her to some rubble nearby. The Soldier fired at the boy, but surprisingly, he made it to the rubble without being wounded. That didn't stop the soldier firing at their hiding spot.

Hope began shaking the woman, attempting to wake her up. When she wasn't, Hope slapped her face twice. This got the job done.

"Huh? What the- Where am I?" she asked, slowly coming to.

"That soldier guy was trying to shoot us to bits. I was able to get us behind some cover," explained the boy.

Another click was heard, and the soldier began firing again. Fang examined the rock behind her. "Alright, kid. I've got a plan. This guy's gonna need to reload his gun. In the little time we have, we hit him with everything we got. Sound good?" she asked. The boy nodded back in response. They only waited for a few seconds, until the gunfire stopped. "NOW!" They rushed forward with their weapons ready. They both fired spells at where the sound came from. However, there was one problem. The Soldier was not there.

A click came from the air. They turned around to see the Soldier land behind them. He stood firmly, as he pointed his guns at them. He was about to pull the trigger, but a strong sock to the face sent him to the ground. The l'Cie looked at the assailant, Snow Villiers, wearing his Wild Bear coat attachment.

"Snow! I told you to stay back!" chided Hope.

"Well, you guys were in a pickle, so I thought that maybe I'd lend you two a han-" he explained. The Soldier kicked Snow to the side. He was on the ground by Hope and Fang's feet. "Man... This guy packs a punch."

Snow got to his feet, and the l'Cie got into their fighting stances. The Soldier threw his guns into the ground. He reached for the baton, and ignited his katana. The Soldier rushed at them, and swiped at Hope, who rolled to the side. Snow used the opening to punch him in the gut. The Soldier retaliated by kicking him in the gut, and followed with hard uppercut to the face. Fang swung her lance, but the Soldier blocked with his katana. Fang kept swiping at him with both sides of her lance, pushing him back as she did so. She swung for his legs, making him jump. In mid-air, Hope sent him backwards with Thundara. The Soldier collided with a wall, but still managed to get on his feet. He glanced at the l'Cie again, and twirled his sword. The Soldier pointed it forward, and charged again.

Nero groaned as he woke up.

He rubbed his back, trying to remember what had happened. He instantly realized he was fighting with Raiden. He looked around the area, but only saw Fang, Snow, and Hope fighting the other soldier. The multiple sounds of thunder strikes were heard above. The shifted his view upwards, and saw that the duel took to the sky. Lightning was riding Sleipnir, while Raiden was running in the air, using the bolts of thunder as its substitute for the ground. Lightning shot spells of Thunderfall and Stormblade. Raiden raised its sword to capture the thunder, and sent waves of electricity at her. Sleipnir jumped from side to side, evading the blasts. Lightning was occupied with staying on the horse, that she didn't see the samurai jump for her. She barely raised, Odin's swords to block it. The force sent her flying off.

Raiden jumped off Sleipnir to fly towards the soldier. She raised her swords, and blocked its strike. She attacked with both swords while the demon blocked with its katana. She pushed Raiden's sword backwards, and kicked it to push herself backwards. She landed back on the patio, only to block another strike from Raiden. She clashed swords with it, both unleashing a flurry of swipes. The demon then sent a tower of electricity at her. She crossed her swords to block the energy, which sent her sliding backwards. At the same time, Nero jumped over her, with his Red Queen raised. The thunder god locked its sword with Nero's. It pushed Nero backwards, continuing the duel.

Hope was pushed backwards, as the Soldier rushed for him. Fang got in the way, and continued to attack him. Hope looked backwards at the other fight going on. Nero and Light both charged at the demon, both engaging in a lock against it. The demon swiped upwards, pushing them back with another wave of electricity. It was there, that he got an idea.

"Nero!" called the boy. The half-demon glanced at him. "Bring that demon closer to the middle! I've got an idea!"

Nero nodded back. He didn't know what he was planning, but if it meant helping them, it was a chance he would take. Lightning swung overhead and the demon jumped over her. Nero rushed next to her. "Listen. The kid's got a plan. Say's he needs us to push him back."

"What's his plan?" she questioned. Her response was a shrug. "Is he sure it will work?"

"Beat's me. But do we have any other options?" he replied.

The demon faced them. **"Are you finished? I would very much like to continue."**

Lightning and Nero both growled at the demon, and both attacked the demon. Nero attacked horizontally, while Light followed with quick swipes. The force of both battlers was slowly forcing the demon warrior to move backwards.

Hope ran back to the fight between the two l'Cie and the soldier. Snow tried to punch him, but the soldier ducked and kicked him in the gut. He would've impaled him, but Fang swung at his head. The Soldier stumbled backwards, but was blasted by Fira. It turned around to see the boy.

"You want a piece of me? I don't know what you're waiting for, but you must be pretty slow if you can't even behead me," called the boy.

The Provoke got the Soldier's attention. He instantly rushed towards Hope. 'Wait for it...' Nero and Light continued to push the demon backwards. It didn't notice that the boy was right behind it. 'Just a little...' The Soldier raised its sword, ready to finish the boy off. 'NOW!' Hope ducked under the sword's swing, losing a few strands of hair. It was followed by a loud screech.

The Soldier looked up, to see the demon Raiden for the first time. Nero looked at the two, and finally figured out the kid's plan. Get the enemies to take themselves out.

Raiden turned to the Soldier, sending him a glare. **"It is very dishonorable to attack from behind." **

The demon began striking the soldier, pushing him backwards. The soldier stepped sideways to dodge the oncoming strike. He swung for Raiden's back, but the samurai blocked with its sword. Raiden continued to push him backwards. The demon was stronger than and more agile than the soldier. It did a roundhouse kick to the soldier, and followed with a strong kick to his stomach that sent him backwards into the air. It then raised its sword upwards, allowing the lightning to strike it. Raiden then slashed downwards, to send a vertical wave to the soldier. He was barely regaining his footing, that he had no time to avoid the oncoming thunder strike. He was pushed backwards to a wall, feeling the thousands of currents flowing through his body. The energy also caused the wall to break apart. The rubble fell on the soldier, burying him completely.

Raiden then turned to the l'Cie, who barely had an opportunity to rest. "Well that plan was short lived," muttered Hope.

The demon raised its sword, ready to take on the six l'Cie. Lightning, Snow, Hope, and Fang readied their weapons for the oncoming battle. However, Nero walked forward and stopped them.

"Guys, stay back," he requested. "This guy wanted to see Sparda's blood in action. I'm the only one who can do that."

"No way. This is a demon! You and I both had trouble with it. It may be too strong for you," reasoned the soldier.

"Maybe. But he was Sparda's apprentice. If we're taking it out, I at least want to fight the guy with the little part of his demonic power," he explained. "Guys, I know it may be asking too much, but let me. I can do this."

All five l'Cie looked at their companion. Snow spoke up. "Well, if it's something you need to do, then go for it," he encouraged.

"I don't know what this is about, but if Sparda's blood is your reasoning, then its a duty you've got to fulfill," added Fang.

"You can do it, Nero. I know you can," said Hope.

Lightning was silent, but then spoke. "Just don't die... And be careful."

Nero nodded. "I will."

He then walked forward to face the demon. "Raiden! I'm your opponent!" he called.

The demon glanced at the demon hunter. **"I see... Very well. Show me! Show me why he fought for mankind!"**

Nero got into his fighting stance, while Raiden did the same. Both stood there, waiting for the other to make a move. Then, at the same time, both ran towards each other with a battle cry.

As they met, they locked into a stalemate, and then began slashing at each other. Nero swung left and right, while Raiden countered every one. The samurai quickly lunged toward Nero, but he used his sword to push it aside. He swung for the demon's waist, but it jumped upwards, kicking his face in mid-air. Raiden went to the offensive and continued to attack Nero. It did vertical, horizontal, vertical combo that kept Nero on his feet. They both locked swords again, this time Raiden charging his sword with electricity, and Nero revving up the Red Queen. Raiden pushed him back with a thunder wave, sending him near the edge. The demon then jumped upward and tried to split Nero by the middle. He was able to roll out of the way. He followed it up with a Streak, but the samurai jumped upwards to avoid it.

**"Why do you hold back?"** asked the demon. **"I know you have the ability to transform into a demonic form. Do it. Fight me to the full extent of your power!" **Nero growled. He then let out a battle cry as he activated his Devil Trigger. **"Yes. That's it... Face me! Show me my master's power! Show me you are worthy of continuing his legacy!"**

Nero charged to the demon, as it ran towards him. Both locked swords again, before pushing off of each other. The samurai then attacked with a multitude of high speed swipes, meant to obliterate an enemy completely. Surprisingly, Nero attacked with the exact same technique, swiping his sword with mad ferocity. As they both dueled each other, sparks of fire and electricity bounced of the recoil of the swords. Nero screamed a battle cry, as both he and the demon pulled their respective blades backwards. It was the power of thunder against the power of Sparda.

Nero clashed his sword against Raiden's. In a flash of light, the Red Queen broke right through the Sword of Thunder. Raiden's eyes widened, as the sword his master had given him was split by the half. Nero took this opportunity to cut Raiden through the waist. As he did the deed, the loudest thunder strike was heard in the heavens above. The demon god stood there for a few moments, before falling to its knees, defeated.

Nero reverted to his human form, and pointed the Red Queen to the demon's face. "It's over, Raiden. You're beaten."

The demon panted weakly. **"So it seems... But why... Why did he..."** It then looked at Nero, examining him closely. It then glanced at the other l'Cie. It was then and there, that it finally realized it. **"I... I see... So that is why... He befriended them... And he wouldn't allow Mundus to hurt them. For ages, I followed him, yet never understood why he did what he did... Thank you, Descendant of Sparda... You have made me learn a new lesson today. I am grateful..."**

Nero, finally seeing the demon beaten, lowered his sword, and placed it on his back. The other l'Cie came closer, to see the demon's last moments.

"Now I want answers. You're one of these demon gods. Why are they attacking Cocoon?" asked Nero.

**"No... They're not attacking Cocoon... They are attacking you l'Cie,"** it explained.

"What? But why? Are you saying that they're trying to save Cocoon?" asked Lightning.

**"Far from it,"** Raiden replied. **"They want to stop you... Because you are the Chosen..."**

"Chosen?" repeated Hope.

**"Yes."** Raiden pointed at Lightning. **"The Chosen of Truth."** Then to Snow. **"The Chosen of Ice."** Next was Hope. **"The Chosen of Light."** After him was Fang. **"The Chosen of Ruin."** And finally Nero. **"The Chosen of Heaven." **Everyone was taken back by this new information. **"And not only you, but the other two as well. The Chosen of Flame, and the Chosen of Strength."**

They all instantly knew that these two Chosen were Sazh and Vanille. By some strange twist of fate, the Chosen had all met each other.

Snow then decided to ask the question that was going on in their heads. "Chosen for what?"

**"You... Are all meant to decide the fate of the universe. Whether it is salvation... Or destruction..."** it answered.

"If that's the case, then of course we choose salvation! We're going to save everyone!" he responded.

**"Are you truly certain of that?**" asked the demon. **"The time of judgement is both far off, and very near. In that time span, what guarantee is there that one of you will lose your way?"**

"That's ridiculous!" snapped Fang. "Why would we wan't to destroy everything?"

**"Because you are humans,"** it responded.** "There are only a few humans that are incorruptible. There is no sure chance that one of you will change his or her mind by the time the end comes." **The l'Cie looked at each other. The mere thought of the entire universe's fate in there hands was a bit overwhelming.** "Regardless, I am sure you will make the right decision. The rest... Is up to you..."**

Raiden gave out its last breath and slumped forward. As it died, it dissolved into electron particles that flew off into the air.

Everyone stood there silently. Nero thought to himself. This was a huge responsibility. When would the time to fulfill this duty come?

Suddenly the sound of engines was heard. They all looked up to see a PSICOM cruiser floating. It landed, and out came more soldiers. Each of them were Guardian Corps and they were armed and ready.

"Again with these grunts? There's no end to them!" complained Fang.

Then from the group, came one in blue armor. The soldier took of his helmet, to reveal long brown hair, and a stubble chin. "Heya, Fang! You guys need a lift?"

She scoffed. "Don't get so cute, Rygdea." She turned to the group. "C'mon guys! Time to get out of here."

Everyone complied. Light, Snow and Fang followed the soldiers, but Hope hesitated. Nero noticed this. "What's wrong?"

Hope then ran back, with Nero following and calling for him. He went back inside of his house, to see his father Hiding behind the destroyed couch. "Hope! Are you alright?"

"Hope then got a rope and showed it to him. "I'm gonna tie you up. If they ask you, you tell them that we held you against your will." He then proceeded to tie him. "This is for your safety... I'm sorry I have to run out on you..."

"No!" blurted Bartholomew. "This is not running away... You've made a choice. You will survive, and do what needs to be done."

"You mean... Complete my Focus?" asked the boy.

"Don't worry about that!" he replied. "It's your choice. You decide what's best."

Hope looked at his dad and then hugged him. They boy then ran back, but not before looking at his father for the last time. "Bye, Dad."

He then ran back to the ship, where Nero was waiting. "Sayin' bye to your pop?" The boy nodded in response. Nero then took him inside, where the ship was beginning to take off.

Inside, before entering the cockpit, Hope stopped and glanced at the floor. "What if... What if I don't see him again?"

Nero was about to enter the room, but stopped after hearing that. He gave out a sigh, and knelt to Hope's eye level. "Listen to me. We are going to get through this. I promise you. I will make sure you get back to your father. I swear it."

Hope looked up at the demon hunter, and they both looked out of the window as the city of Palumpolum was far behind them.

Ch. 19: When the Past Catches Up to Us

Dante, Sazh, and Vanille arrive in the City of Nautilus, hoping to escape the worries of imprisonment. However, Dante is visited by an unlikely visitor. As the day goes by, the Sanctum Army catches up to the runaways. Will they be able to escape once again? Or has the past finally caught up to them?

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	20. When the Past Catches Up to Us

**Capcom and Square-Enix own DMC and FFXIII respectively. AN: WOO! 100 FREAKIN' REVIEWS! THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU! You people are awesome! Thank you guys for giving this No Life a decent amount of reviews for his first story. Man, I'm seriously digging KH3D. I need it to come out in the States. And thanks to Spring Break, I have a lot of time on my hands! Now we go back to Dante. Also, went back and fixed the errors of the last chapters for my reviewers. Thank you so much!**

Nautilus- When the Past Catches Up to Us

-Nautilus Park-

"Boy, am I glad that ride ended!" chirped Dante.

After a few hours on the Seabus, the group had finally reached their destination, Nautilus. Dante examined the City of Dreams that surrounded him. The place was crowded. On every angle, there would be a worker greeting someone, or people looking at monitors. The atmosphere was relatively cheerful. It truly was the entertainment capital of the entire planet.

He looked to his left to see Sazh tending to Vanille, who was sitting on the ground. "You get seasick?" asked the afro man.

She got up. "No. I'm fine, thank you," she thanked.

"Okay! So, seeing as how we're finally here, what do we do, now?" asked Dante.

Sazh shrugged. "Well... I guess we should check this place out. No use standin' here," he suggested.

"Lead the way then!" urged the girl.

The trio set off to begin their day at the amusement park. As they walked, they failed to see the blue coated man glaring at them cautiously.

The devil hunter took quick glances at the attractive women that passed him by. What made it even better was that their clothes were fairly revealing. "Crowded place we've got here. I could get used to this."

The afro man motioned them to stop, as the peace caught his attention. "Not many soldiers around here. In this place, the "l'Cie threat" seems to be worlds away," he commented.

"If that's true, then you guys are in the clear, Sazhy boy," assured Dante.

Sazh didn't respond to that, for his eyes were reading an ad. "Hmm. Says here that there's goin' to be a parade later. With Eidolons, too." He turned to them. "What do you say, guys? Let's go check it out," he suggested.

"Sounds splendid!" agreed Vanille. "Did you hear that, Dante? We're gonna see a parade."

"That's great, but you guys might wanna take a gander at this." The two l'Cie wondered what he had meant, before looking forward. There was a large monitor, which was broadcasting the news.

_"We interupt this program to bring you a breaking news update. The l'Cie who surfaced in Palumpolum, and attacked the city's citizens, are still on the run from authories."_

The newscast then produced footage on the Sanctum's assault. Dante looked at the individuals who resisted the soldiers. He then saw a familiar face, shaking his head as he did so. "Kid, kid, kid. Always worried about taking out the enemy. Doesn't even bother to look stylish, every once in a while."

_"Sanctum soldiers are tracking their location, but have yet to engage the fugtives. The presence of hostages has also been confirmed-"_

Vanille suddenly gasped. Both men turned to the surprised little girl. "Uh, something the matter?" asked Sazh.

"It- It's her!" she stuttered.

Sazh took a closer look, and nodded. "Oh no. Looks like the Sanctum finally got to 'em."

Dante also had enhanced hearing, so he only sighed in disgust as he heard the mutters of nearby civilians. He heard things along the lines of "Burn the hostages with the l'Cie," and "Those people are tainted by Pulse." It truly was pathetic.

"Well, no use dilly-dallying here," stated Dante. "C'mon Sazh. Where's that parade at?"

"It should be down this way. I'll take you guys," he assured. The three fugitives began heading for the central area of the park.

As they neared, Sazh still noticed that Vanille wasn't smiling. "Hey. Cheer up," he encouraged. "We're free right now. We've got to make the most of it!"

She looked at him, and returned a light-hearted smile. "Yeah..."

Dante took a brochure from a female employee who was handing them out. "Says here it's called the... Poppa Sancta... The Story of the War... The hell is that?"

"It's a local attraction they have," explained Sazh. "It commemorates the war between Cocoon and Pulse."

In the middle of the plaza, a floating crystalline statue, that depicted a clock, was activated. The numbers around it began spinning, as people gathered to see the spectacle.

"Look, guys! The show's startin'," notified Sazh.

Then, a huge tower was illuminated with a purple light. On the sky, floating blue balloons were dropping what looked liked compact disks. One of the discs fell to the girls hands, and instantly activated. Out popped a little puppy/rabbit-like creature. "It's party time, little lady!" it cheered.

The creature then flew upwards into the sky. Along with other creatures to form an image in the sky. Dancing Eidolons came from the blue light they were standing on, and in the middle was the Eidolon Siren, playing her harp elegantly. The stage expanded itself, more dancing figures appearing. Suddenly, the color of the stage went from blue to red, as did some of the dancers on stage.

Suddenly, a enormous flame emerged from the center. Out of the flames came a hulking fire demon, with it's rider laughing evilly. "With Pulse-born spite, and savage might, I will destroy Cocoon!" it bellowed.

"They should save rhyming for poetry and music, not theater," criticized Dante.

The Eidolon Ifrit began shooting fire out of its mouth, depicting the Pulsians as evil to the audience.

"Next up is the attack from Pulse," summarized Sazh.

"Don't spoil it for us, Sazhy," muttered Dante.

Then blue aura was encircling in the air. Then the Eidolon Ramuh went charging straight for Ifrit, with its partner in hand. "With trusty blade, and fal'Cie's aid, I will defend Cocoon!" Ramuh blasted Thundaga at Ifrit, while the Pulse Eidolon Fire punched him. "To battle!" the knight said as he charged toward Ifrit's shaman.

"You dare oppose me?" bellowed the shaman as it clashed with the knight. The shaman pushed away from the knight and began to be enveloped in fire. "I WILL FULFILL MY FOCUS!"

The orb of flames began to change into a purple hue, as it changed forms. The fire turned into smoke, as the shaman had transformed into something else. It had two wide horns and used a cape as wings.

Vanille suddenly gasped. It was the creature that they saw in the vision. "Ragnarok!"

"Ragnarok" blasted the knight into oblivion, as it floated over the people. Then, above the fake destroyer, a new dark orb of purple appeared in a bright light. When it subsided, a dark armored being with dark wings appeared with sword in hand. Dante instantly knew who that knight was supposed to be.

"I have seen your evil reign, and today, I end Cocoon's pain!"

"That ain't nothin' like Pop," muttered Dante.

"Sparda" charged directly at "Ragnarok", performing a Stinger. The sword impaled the monster, and it screeched in pain as it exploded with light. "Sparda" had dissapeared with the monster, and in their place, a huge green light was left, symbolizing the world of Cocoon.

The audience went wild. People even cheered for the Cocoon warriors. "Oh man," muttered Sazh, while Dante only remained silent for once. Sparda had been here before. He began to wonder if his arrival and the kid's hiatus were mere coincidence or planned.

Both men were preoccupied with the spectacle, that they didn't see the girl shed a tear.

After awhile, the group decided to sit on a bench. "So, what'd you guys think of the show?" asked Sazh.

"Could do without the rhyming. But I must say, 4D technology is a nice touch. In my world, we haven't even adapted to 3D yet," told the son of Sparda.

Sazh then turned to the girl, who had a sad expression on her face. He decided to cheer her up. "So where to next, little lady?" he asked in the most squeakiest tone.

Vanille looked up, and gave a short laugh. "I'll let you guys decide."

"Can't do that. Don't know the place," responded Dante.

The afro pilot thought to himself, until coming up with a good idea. "How's about this? Today, you get a Nautilus Park date. With Sazh..." He pulled Dante from the bench. "And Dante."

The girl giggled to his antics, but frowned. "But... Should we really be playing around like this?" she asked.

"Whenever I have troubles, I just like to eat and drink away until I pass out," said Dante, earning him a confused look from Vanille and a glare from Sazh. "But seeing as how you're young, some leisure time might help you out. You know, to get your mind off of this whole fugitive stuff."

Hearing that, the girl smiled and got up. The afro man lead the way as they headed for a building.

"So what exactly is this place for?" asked Dante.

"It's like you said before, it's a place for leisure time," answered Sazh. "This place was built by the Sanctum for civilians. But they never expected to have l'Cie visitors among them."

"So, this place is special?" asked Vanille.

"Yeah, of course. To me it is," answered Sazh. "I promised my son that I would take him here someday. At least now, I can tell him what to expect."

"I'm sure you will, Sazhy. I recommend that you take him here, the moment you see him again. That's what I would do, if I was a dad, which thankfully I'm not. But anyways, you'll get your chance," assured Dante.

"I hope so... After all, I know where they're keeping him."

"So... Can I go too?" asked Vanille.

"Of course! Like you said, the more the merrier, right?" agreed Sazh. "What about you? You got someone special?"

She put her hand on her chin. "Someone... Not really..."

"Not really? Man, that's sad!" muttered Sazh, making Vanille bow her head down. "Oh wait! No, I didn't mean to upset you! I was only kidding! Sorry."

She then looked back at him, her signature smile on her face. "Don't worry! I'll be alright!"

"Well let's hurry the hell up! An amusement park equals food. And I, for one, am starving," stated Dante.

Sazh then pointed to a small pod on the water. He went up to it and pressed a button to open it. He motioned for them to walk in and took a seat. As quickly as it closed, the pod submerged itself. Out of the window, the pod traveled through a four-railed transit system that quickly got them to the park. When they emerged, they looked up to see the entrance was a petting zoo.

"Wow! A petting zoo! I thought I smelled chocobo!" exclaimed Vanille with glee.

"Y'know, Dajh is crazy about chocobos. This was were he wanted to go the most," explained Sazh.

Dante eyed the chocobo, holding his nose as he did so. "This a very big, smelly, and blond chicken."

As they walked in, Vanille whispered to the little chocobo. "Hey! You might even make some new friends today!"

Hearing this, the little chick flapped its wings excitingly, and flew towards the zoo. Catching the group off-guard, they chased after it into the area. Inside, the smell of chocobo was in the air, as the ground was coated with bright green grass and many yellow chocobo were about minding their own business. The area was wide, making the little chocobo chick difficult to spot.

"Dang it! We're never gonna find it, at this rate!" said Sazh.

"Eh, don't sweat it, Sazhy," assured Dante. "In these kind of situations, splitting up and covering ground tends to solve them quick and easy."

Vanille nodded. "That's sounds like a great idea! So how do we do this?"

"Simple. You and Sazh head in that direction," he advised while pointing to the west. "I, on the other hand, am going to check near that conveniently placed ice cream shop."

"What the- Hell no! You ain't gonna leave all the wor-"

Vanille then began dragging him toward the west. "No time, old man! That little critter is counting on us to find him!"

As Sazh was being dragged, he shouted, "I'm not old!"

Dante waved at them, and walked toward the stand. He sat by a stool, and was attended instantly. The worker had shoulder-length hair, and had a name tag that said "Manny." "Welcome to Nautilus Sweets. Sweets so good, they can be only found in your dreams... What would you like?" he asked in a bored tone.

'Charming guy,' he thought. "Yeah. I'll have one strawberry sundae. Large." Dante handed the boy a All You Can Eat Pass he "borrowed" from a snotty brat that was asking if he could have his Ebony.

Manny swiped the card to confirm its validity. He then walked to the machine behind him, and pressed a few buttons. A metal arm then grabbed a cup, which moved to the side next to a faucet. From the pipe, strawberry ice cream was dispensed into the cup, followed by sliced strawberries. The boy took the sundae and handed it to his customer. "Enjoy your meal... And have a sweet day in Nautilus, the City of Dreams..."

'Real charming guy.' As Dante was about to begin his meal, another customer had taken the stool next to him, and instantly took gil out of his coat.

"Welcome to Nautilus Sweets. Sweets so good, they can be only found in your dreams... Now what do you need?"

"I'll have some chocolate cake," ordered the customer.

Manny then went for a glass case, and reached for said cake. He handed it to the customer, when a walkie-talkie went off in his pocket. "Shift's over, Manny. Lunch break!"

"Ugh, finally!" Manny blurted as he took off his apron. "If only those stupid scientists at PSICOM had hired me. "Time-travel isn't possible," my left cheek!" he fumed as he walked off.

Both men silently ate their dessert, each aware of the other's presence. Dante didn't need to look at him. He already knew who it was.

After fifteen minutes, Dante had finished his sundae. "Y'know, you and I have always been so busy, what with my job and you being dead, we never had a chance to just sit down and eat like this."

"Hmph. Well, I don't recall you ever asking me to visit. Not that I would squander my time indulging in your definition of good cuisine."

Dante turned to face him. "What're you doin' here, Vergil? You've been following me ever since I got on that boat."

"I'm the one who should be asking you that question. You are the only one who is out of place in this world," he replied as he continued to eat his cake.

"Excuse me?" asked the younger brother. "That coming from the other twin. Or have you forgotten that, bro?"

"Sadly, no. But I have been in this world longer than you have. I have studied the cultures, mythologies, and histories of this world. I know more about what is going on than you ever will."

"So all this time you've been studying about the world Dad found? Heh, and here I thought you were running away from what you did," he remarked.

Vergil raised an eyebrow. "And what, pray tell, is that supposed to mean?"

"Don't act like you don't know what I'm talkin' about," snapped Dante. "The kid told me everything. My partner, Morrison, even showed me the autopsy! I knew you were capable of killing humans. But killing an innocent girl, on her wedding day no less, is low. Even for you.

Vergil's eyes furrowed. "When you say "kid," are you, by any chance, referring to Nero? The boy who accused me of murdering his bride. The boy who tried to kill me only hours ago. The boy whom you gave my amulet to, when you specifically told me that you sold it. That boy?"

Dante glared at him, not once shifting his gaze away from the Gold Amulet.

"In that case, save it. I have no knowledge as to why the boy believes that I am the murderer. But I already told him, and I am going to tell you, as well. I am not responsible for her murder," explained the Dark Slayer.

"Well see, here's the thing. There were people who confirmed that it was you. Your story doesn't check out. And another thing. This is between you and the kid. He came to me for training, and I reluctantly did it. It's out of my hands now."

"You obviously didn't do a good job," insulted Vergil. "I defeated him easily. What he he lacks in power, he makes up for in rage. And that hinders his abilities. Even against a fellow l'Cie."

Dante stiffened at this. "L'Cie? What are you-" Vergil then removed his right glove, and showed him the mark. Dante saw a bull's head with incomplete horns. "So... You're on the clock, just like the kid..."

"And your two companions, which is why I came to speak to you." He shifted his gaze upwards to the sky. "The Sanctum army is on its way to this very location. I was able to delay them long enough to give you time to escape. So I will only tell you this once. Leave now."

Dante raised his right eyebrow. "Run from a fight? Me? And why would I wanna do that?"

"Because the Sanctum will arrest you for treason. And it will only make getting your half of the Amulet more strenuous," he explained.

The devil hunter then sent him a glare. "And what about Sazh and Vanille?"

"Those two l'Cie?" he asked. "They are to be tried and publicly executed by the Sanctum. Anything tainted by Pulse is to be eradicated. Such is the fate of Pulse l'Cie."

Dante remained silent, before walking toward the west. "Did you not hear what I just said? There is nothing you can do for them. If you continue on that path, you will only be arrested and executed. Are you truly prepared to die for two strangers? If you are captured, do not expect me to bail you out."

"The problem with the world is that no one helps each other," said Dante, catching Vergil completely off-guard. "Remember when Mom first told us that? Probably not. You've been so busy trying to be Father, that you completely forgot how to be human. That's your huge flaw, bro."

Dante walked after Vanille and Sazh, leaving his brother behind. Vergil sat there, anger welling up inside him. He then snapped the metal fork in his hand into two pieces.

It took a while, but Sazh and Vanille were able to find the baby chocobo. It was fluttering above one of the bigger chocobos.

"Look. It's part of the gang already," joked the girl about the elder chicken.

"Yep. It's always good to be around friends..."

She went to pet the chocobo. "The fun times are doubled. And your worries feel far way."

"And nothing ever seems as scary, when you have people to share it with," he added. They then both shared a good honest laugh with each other, both rejoicing their short freedom. "Thank you, Vanille. Thanks a bunch."

"For what?" she asked.

"For giving me the chance to come here. Now that I've been here, I can tell Dajh all about the chocobos. You see... He's bein' held by the military," he admitted.

Vanille stiffened. "You mean... PSICOM?"

"Yeah," he responded. "Because he's a Cocoon l'Cie, they've been running tests on him. They're hoping to figure out his Focus..." He then paused. "I... I've decided to turn myself in." Vanille gasped in both surprise and shock. "I know they execute l'Cie but... They're still human. They'll listen to a last request. They have to. Before I die, I at least wanna talk to my son. Talk to him about chocobos, and everything else I've seen. I can already imagine the joy on his face."

"But if you die..."

"Don't worry. You're not a part of this. I'll make sure you and Dante have enough to time to split before I surrender," he assured.

"But that's not what I meant!" she retorted.

"Look, I'm sorry. But it's just... I'm just tired of all this running," he confessed.

"But- But you can't!" she cried. Vanille didn't want Sazh to die. He was her friend. In her mind, she looked for any excuse to change his mind. "What about your son? He became a l'Cie because of someone from Pulse! You can't- You can't just die without getting revenge!"

Sazh was confused. "Vanille wha-"

"I-" Vanille hesitated. "I know who it was. I know was responsible for the accident at Euride!"

Sazh couldn't believe his ears. Was it true? Did Vanille really know who was responsible? If so, why did she conceal it? It didn't matter. He needed to know. "Who was it? If you know, tell me!" he pleaded.

Vanille took a few steps back, both surprised at his reaction, and scared of how he would react after. Nevertheless, she had to tell him. "The one responsible... The person who ruined your life...It was... It's..."

A gunshot was heard, and Vanille was pushed to the ground by Sazh. They both looked up to see a PSICOM Sniper aiming at them. "Shit! They found us?" shouted Sazh.

The afro man and the girl ran out of the petting zoo, avoiding the shots coming from the snipers. However, as they made it out, they were greeted by a squadron of soldiers and a Midlight Reaper.

Sazh growled. "You guys are nuts if you think I'm goin' down that easy!"

However, their salvation came in the form of a red blur. He jumped into the air and began firing the two pistols in hands. Dante twirled in the air in a circular motion, firing and hitting every soldier unlucky enough to be in the way. He landed before the two l'Cie, putting Ebony and Ivory into their respective holsters and reached for something inside his coat. He pulled out Coyote-A, and fired at the Midlight Reaper's monitor. Being blinded, it could not defend itself as Dante used Rebellion to hack the machine into pieces. He wiped the sweat off of his face as he turned away from his handiwork and at the l'Cie.

"Hey! Finally found you two!" he chirped, with the sounds of wounded soldiers moaning in pain.

"Where've you been?" asked Sazh.

"Lookin' for both of you! I heard the gunshots, and ran here as fast as I could! Listen, we can't stay here. We gotta bounce. Now." He began to lead the way, when he noticed Sazh hadn't moved. "Uh, Sazh? Soldiers are right behind us, just so you know."

"Listen, go without me! I'll be fine!" called Sazh. He then went towards the central plaza, much to the devil hunter's surprise.

"Does this guy have a death wish?" he asked as he and Vanille ran after him.

Sazh had been sprinting hard away from the two, that his old body gave out. He stopped to take a breather, when the chocobo chick flew out of his afro. When he looked at it, it flew into the hands of a little boy. Sazh was suddenly overwhelmed with relief, as he saw the boy smiling back at him. Dante and Vanille had just caught up with him, and saw the boy. The man raised an eyebrow, seeing as how the kid resembled Sazh, while Vanille gasped in surprise.

"Daddy! I found you!" called Dajh as he ran to his father. He then hugged the man's knees. "Gotcha, Daddy!" he playfully said.

Sazh knelt down. "Dajh... Wh- How'd- Why are you here?"

Dajh grinned at him. "Because you promised! Remember?"

Sazh couldn't believe it. His son was there. This was it. At long last, they were reunited.

Sadly, this reunion would not last.

As Sazh reached out for his son, he was suddenly pushed backwards by a bright light. He flew backwards, and landed in front of the other two fugitives. When he looked back at his boy, his heart was instantly crushed to pieces. Before them stood the crystallized statue of Dajh Katzroy, still smiling happily.

"No... NOO!" cried Sazh. "DAJH, WAIT! COME BACK!" He reached out to his son, but only felt the cold touch of crystal. "No... No... Not Dajh... Not you, Dajh!" he then began sobbing his heart out on the ground.

"W- What the hell just happened! First this whole father-son reunion, and then the kid just turned to an icicle! Can someone tell me what the hell's going on?" asked Dante.

"Simple really," said a voice ahead. They looked to see a squadron of soldiers being lead by a female military official. She had long blond hair, with striking green eyes behind her glasses and wore a long green coat, with a baton on her waist. "The capture of undesirables. The boy was a l'Cie and that seemed to be his Focus. Dajh performed his Focus admirably, and served Cocoon in the process. You should be proud, Mr. Katzroy."

Vanille stood by Sazh, while Dante cut in front of her. "Heelloo there!" He held his hand out with a grin. "I don't believe we've met. The name's Dante."

The woman looked away, ignoring the man's attempts to flirt with her. "Dajh was of great help," she continued. "His ability to sense objects of Pulse origin allowed us to monitor your movement, and allowed us to gain invaluable battle data on enemy l'Cie." She smiled. "Words cannot express our gratitude." She then eyed Vanille. "And speaking of gratitude, I thought you should look at this." She held out a small device and tossed it to the distraught Sazh's knees. It then displayed a small hologram, depicting camera footage. Sazh looked at it in awe, until he realized what it was.

"We were able to enhance the footage from the energy plant." On the screen was a woman with a red lance on her back. But that was not what got his attention. What did grab it, was the accomplice on the screen. He could not believe who it was.

"Those two Pulse l'Cie were responsible for what occurred. The picture is grainy, but I'm sure you recognize one of them. After all, you've spent so much time together."

Dante took a peek and chuckled. "Hey, Vanille. It's yoouu..." He stopped when he saw her on the verge of tears.

Sazh could not believe it. Part of him didn't want to to believe it. But there it was.

"That's right. This girl's terrorist assault at Euride Gorge caused your son to be branded a l'Cie. Ironic, isn't it? The very girl you were protecting... Is the person responsible for taking your son," she told.

Vanille couldn't take it anymore. "No... NOOO!" She then ran off away from the soldiers.

One of the soldiers aimed for her, but was quickly slugged by Dante. "Careful where you point that- Ugh!" A soldier hit his rifle on the son of Sparda's back, sending him on his knees. Soldiers quickly pointed their rifles at the man to restrain him.

"Hold it!" ordered the lady, stopping the soldiers instantly. She then walked up to the boy's father. "Should we finish her off? Or would you prefer to?"

Sazh then thought to himself, making him even more conflicted. Dante's eyes widened. "Sazh, you're not really considering it, are you?" The man then made up his mind, an expression of anger on his face. He then ran toward the direction Vanille went to. "SAZH, NO!"

The woman then turned to Dante. "Well, well. It seems you have nowhere left to run... Vergil."

Dante took the name in for a moment, and then bursted out laughing. "Wait, you think- You think I am my older brother, Vergil?" He continued to laugh. "Sorry, Gorgeous. But do I look like I hate everything around me? No."

"Nevertheless, you know valuable information about him. Not to mention that you aided Pulse l'Cie. You have betrayed this planet, and I will make sure you die for it."

"Really? I'd prefer having a candlelit dinner with you instead of death. Which by the way, is still up for grabs," he flirted.

"Sorry. People like you don't deserve a moment of my time," she said, standing him up.

"Yeesh. If it wasn't for your beauty, I'd say your attitude stinks, like Vergil's," he remarked. "However, as beautiful as you are, I'm afraid I have important matters to attend to. Sooo..."

He then pulled two soldiers and slammed them together. He then jumped over the soldiers, and landed near the path both l'Cie went to. He turned to the women, and winked at her. "I'll see you around!"

The soldiers were about to go after him, but the woman stopped them. "But Colonel Nabaat... Why?" asked one of them.

Jihl looked at the pathway before her. "Follow, and observe them. It's not often l'Cie kill their own," she explained.

The thunder enveloped the skies. Vanille paid no heed to it as she ran. Many voices ran through her head. They told her she was cold blooded, that she dragged people down, how she used them as shields. That she was a coward. That she was a killer. No longer being able to bear them, she fell on her knees and finally let out the tears she had been suppressing for so long.

"Vanille!" called out a voice. She turned around to see it was Sazh. Pointing his gun at her. She knew she couldn't escape. There was no reason to run.

She finally stood up and faced him. "My name... Is Oerba Dia Vanille... I am a l'Cie from Gran Pulse... And to everyone in Cocoon... Evil..."

Sazh growled to himself. She was responsible. He already saw it. But... Was this really what he wanted to do?

Then a gun cocked behind him. "Can't let you do that, Sazhy." He glanced over his shoulder to see Dante pointing Ebony at his head. "Put the gun down."

"Y- You saw the video," he said.

"I did... But there's nothing that can be done about it now."

"Hmph! Easy for you to say! You didn't lose your kid! You didn't lose the only thing you had!"

"And killing her's gonna make it all better?" he asked. "Sazh, she may be guilty, but she doesn't deserve to die."

Sazh remained silent. Never before has he felt so much anguish.

"JUST SHOOT ME!" cried Vanille. Both men looked at her. "For your son... Just shoot me!" she pleaded.

"Vanille!" called Dante. "Let me handle-"

"DON'T YOU EVEN!" shouted Sazh at the Pulsian girl. "What, you think you die, and that's it, huh? You think you die, and then everything'll be sugar and rainbows?"

"Sazh! Put the damn gun down!" shouted Dante.

"Then... What can I do? WHAT DO YOU WANT FROM ME?" she shouted. "If I can't live or die, what do you want me to do?"

"Don't ask me! You figure it out!" he shot back.

"I... Don't know. I don't know. I DON'T KNOW!" she shrieked.

"Sazh, you're scaring her! Put the gun down, Sazh. I don't wanna use it on you!" said Dante.

Sazh continued to glare at her until his expression softened. "N- Neither do I..." He slowly let his arm slump down, and dropped his gun. Dante let out a huge sigh of relief. "It's over... There's nothing left to do... Shooting you won't help," he sobbed. "And neither will living..."

Suddenly, his l'Cie mark began to glow a bright light, giving him pain. Dante and Vanille took a few steps back, as Sazh groaned in pain. Above him, a huge orb of fire appeared.

"Ah, what the fuck is going on now?" complained Dante.

From the orb, came a huge robotic figure. It was covered in red armor, had a dark face with three horns on it, and held a ginormous bludgeon as its weapon This was the Eidolon known as Brynhildr.

Sazh looked at the Fire Valkyrie that appraoched him. "C'mon. Do your worst, you freak!"

As it raised its weapon, Vanille rushed in front of Sazh to block it. As it fired at both of them, Dante jumped in front of them, and performed his Royalguard stance. He was then enveloped in surging darkness, as his irises became red. Brynhildr fired at the group, but it didn't reach the l'Cie. They looked to see Dante, in his Devil Trigger Dreadnought Form. **"You two, let me deal with this."**

Sazh wouldn't have it. Vanille was about to save him. Whether she didn't deserve it, he had to help her. He began firing from behind Dante. "Alright, fine! YOU WANT ME? COME AND GET ME!"

Vanille saw both men as they were willing to protect her. Wiping the tears from her eyes, she got her Binding Rod, and joined them.

Dante had reverted to his regular Devil Trigger, and motioned them.** "Listen, distract it for me. Do that thing you do with the magic."**

"And what are you gonna do?" asked Sazh angrily.

**"Shoot an arrow through its heart,"** he responded.

Dante then charged demonic energy into his pistols, and began firing at Brynhildr. The Fire Eidolon swung its bludgeon vertically, but the devil hunter had anticipated this. He jumped high enough to grab the weapon as it moved. Getting a tight grip, Dante then performed a Stinger right at Brynhildr's face, causing it pain.

Brynhildr then grabbed Dante and tossed him into the air, following it up with a swing to his body. The force of the hit sent him flying towards the nearby throne, where slid down into the ground. Trying to ignore the pain, Dante glanced up at Sazh and Vanille. The two were, surprisingly, working together to defeat this foe.

"Why even bother, brother?"

Dante stiffened and looked back at the throne. Sitting there was Vergil, with his legs crossed and scabbard in hand.

"The fate of those l'Cie have already been determined. Be it by PSICOM, or themselves, they are going to die. Leave them, brother. You have no part to play here."

He shook his head.** "Tch. All this for an amulet? Cold as ever, bro."**

"You do not belong to this world, Dante. Why can't you understand this? They are beyond any hope of salvation, and are not your responsibility. You can't stop them from their destiny."

**"Oh yeah? Watch me."**

Dante then rushed forward and jumped into the air. In mid-air, he performed the Rain Storm, hitting it multiple times. Deciding to finish it off, Dante created an Air Hike under his feet, jumped forward. In he aimed his fiery Rebellion to the machine's chest and performed an aerial Stinger. He came in so fast, he stabbed right through the machine, landing between both l'Cie. He didn't even watch as the Eidolon disappeared into nothingness.

He then reverted back to his human form, looking over his shoulder. Vergil had disappeared, leaving the throne empty. Sighing, he turned to see Sazh pointing his gun again at the girl, making her step back. Dante quickly intervened.

"Okay, Sazh. We've all had a rough night. But are you seriously still considering this?" He continued pointing the gun, forcing Dante to draw Ivory. "Listen, Sazh. I like you. I really do. You're a good guy. But if you think I'm gonna let you kill a young girl, you've got another thing coming." The afro man still didn't move. "Sazh, I'm warning you! I don't wanna shoot you, but I will if I have to!" Sazh kept his glare at her. "SAZH, PUT THE FUCKING GUN DOWN. NOW!"

"There are many things in this world... That are unforgivable." Dante readied his gun. "... Killing a kid is one of them..." Sazh lowered his gun, his eyes staring into space.

Vanille fell to her knees, despair taking her again. After letting out a sigh, the son of Sparda knelt down to her. "Hey... Wipe those tears. C'mon. Let's get you guys outta here-"

"Enough..." A gun was cocked. Dante turned around slowly, until finally seeing Sazh point his gun at his head. "Is enough..."

Dante rushed to him "SAZH, NOOO!"

*BANG*

Dante stopped in his tracks, eyes wide with surprise.

Sazh was still standing. In fact, he fired at the throne instead. Even so, he was still full of despair.

The pilot fell his knees. "I- I can't do it! WHY! WHY CAN'T I DO IT? I... I have nothing... I can't even shoot Vanille..." He then began crying his heart out, making most people watching feel sorry. Vanille walked forward, and hugged the man. Sazh didn't even care if it was her.

Dante could only feel sorry for the man. He had literally lost everything, but had almost lost his sanity as well. "Sazh... Vanille... You two... Are a piece of work..." he sighed.

"FREEZE!" PSICOM soldiers quickly surrounded them. Many of them restrained Dante, knowing that he was as much a danger as the l'Cie. All three were held at gunpoint.

When Dante saw Liutenant Colonel Jihl Nabaat, he couldn't help but do what he did best. Talk. "Oohh. Couldn't stay away, could ya, Gorgeous? Don't blame you. Not many women can resist my wonderful mug-" Jihl got her baton and swatted it on Dante's face. He spat out the blood on his mouth, still grinning. "Ouch... I do love feisty women." This earned him another swat.

She then turned to Sazh. "You know, you should be proud, Mr. Katzroy. Your son was the hero who saved Cocoon." She used the baton to lift the father's face up. "And in his honor, we will erect a memorial in Eden, and put his crystal on display for all to see."

Sazh growled at her. "A memorial? You can't do that! He's only a boy!"

"He is the son of a tainted Pulse l'Cie," she explained. "He would have lived his life in both shame and misery. Think about it. Wouldn't you want people to look up to him as a symbol of hope, instead of the son of the enemy we despise so much?"

Sazh then tried to pull away from the soldiers. "YOU'RE MEANING OF HOPE IS FALSE! I WON'T LET YOU USE HIM LIKE THIS!"

Finally fed up with his protests, Nabaat swung her baton at Sazh, instantly knocking him out. "The next time you open your eyes, will be the last."

"The next time I see you, I hope that you'll allow me to treat you to a dinner and-" Jihl swung at Dante's face again, more blood coming out of his mouth. She then ordered the soldiers to take the fugitives away.

Vanille and Dante were fitted with the Purge robes, while Sazh was put into a floating coffin. The thunder in the skies continued to roar. Sazh and Vanille were taken inside of Nabaat's cruiser.

"Do be careful with those," she cautioned. "For every task, there's the perfect tool."

"Hello, again!" greeted Dante, catching Jihl off-guard.

'Speaking of tools...' she thought. "What are you doing? How did you escape the soldiers?" she furiously asked.

"Yeah..." He pointed over his shoulder, and Jihl was surprised to see that the soldiers assigned to guard him were all unconscious on the ground. "Let's just say I have the power of persuasion in the palm of my hands." She swung for him with her baton, but he caught it and pulled it out of her grip. "I think I've had enough of this today, thank you."

"What do you want? You are supposed to be in that ship!" she hissed.

"Don't worry. I give you my word that I will get on... If you tell me your name," he suggested.

The official glared daggers at him. But seeing that there were no soldiers to back her, and that the buffoon had her baton, she reluctantly rolled her eyes. "It's Jihl... Jihl Nabaat."

"Ah, Jill... Such a pretty name, for a beautiful woman," he told. He then tossed her back the baton. "I look forward to being interrogated by you," he said as he walked toward the ship.

As Dante was walking, a camera flew at his face. He only smiled at it. "Kid, you better hurry, if you don't wanna miss the crazy party!" he told it.

He finally made it inside, and sat next to Vanille. After a few minutes, the ships had begun flying.

A pilot was working on the controls for his ship, when the door opened. "Hey, you guys all ready to fly?"

"Yeah. I just need you to tell me the code identification for the Palamecia," said the man who entered casually.

" Oh yeah. It's 763267. Why do you-" He suddenly felt a huge pain on his neck. In moment's, the pilots vision blackened forever.

Vergil pulled the beheaded corpse of the soldier from the seat, adding it to the number of bodies on the cruiser. He then activated the controls for the ship, remembering how to start it. When he did, he flew it closely to the other ships that were heading for their destination.

"Now... It begins."

Ch. 20: Preparations

After waking from a terrible nightmare, Nero begins to wonder the reasoning behind his actions. As the l'Cie finally discover the location of their friends, they begin to prepare for the rescue operation. Will they be ready for the upcoming trial that awaits them?

**Literally the longest chapter I've written.**

**READ AND REVIEW!**


	21. Preparations

**Capcom and Square-Enix own DMC and FFXIII respectively. AN: School is very time-consuming this time of the year! Plus, I've been watching too much KH3D and Asura's Wrath on Youtube. Hopefully this update will make up for it. Already seen all FFXIII-2 story DLC... Things just got complicated for my plot... Newest longest chapter I've written.**

The Lindblum- Preparations

-Unknown Location-

Everything was white. There was nothing and no one. Even the ground of the entire area was just made out of absolutely nothing.

Nero continued to walk forward into the blanched plane. He didn't know how he came unto this place, yet there he was. The last thing he remembered was escaping Palumpolum with Lightning, Hope, Snow, and Fang with some soldiers. Everything else was a huge blur.

As he walked, however, the whiteness began to slowly dissolve away. Nero began to notice that they were beginning to take the form of buildings. The architecture was sloppy, indicating that they were recently made. From the wood, the houses were only three years old. Strangely, as more appeared, he was able to recognize some houses. He could see houses that belong to his neighbors. The Newtons, the Salieris, the Jovaks. Finally, he was shocked to find a very familiar house.

Going inside, he examined the household. It had a kitchen, a bathroom, and one bed. In a counter next to the bed, a picture was on display. He picked it up and examined it sadly. It was a picture of him, and a girl his age. She had long orange hair, striking brown eyes, and a white uniform with the Order of the Sword's insignia on both shoulders.

Nero finally realized where he was. His second hometown. New Fortuna.

*DONG*

Nero quickly looked out of the window. Right down the street, a church's bells were ringing.

*DONG*

Nero's heart began racing. Whether it was because of anxiety or trauma, it didn't matter. That church was where it all happened.

The devil hunter walked out of his old home, and walked towards the church. He didn't know why, but he was very hesitant on going inside. It was because of fear. Fear of what he might see. If it would happen again.

He ascended up the steps, and finally made it to the doors. He reached out to the door, but stopped. He glanced at his hand, and slightly pushed the door open. He peeked inside. The church was was illuminated with by the sun's rays emitting from the stained-glass windows. Many people were sitting on the benches, men and women dressed up as if for a party. At the altar, stood a girl who's back was to Nero. She wore a white wedding dress, and a veil that hid her face.

Seeing this, Nero closed it. He closed his eyes, and took a deep breath. He then pushed the doors open, and entered. Every person, save for the bride, looked back at him. He failed to regard them, as he walked towards the bride.

Nero examined her closely, feeling shy for the first time in a year. He reached for her shoulder, finally finding the courage to speak. "K- Kyrie?"

There was no response, neither a sign telling him she heard him. Suddenly, she began to turn around slowly. When she finally faced him, Nero was lost for words.

Kyrie had multiple puncture wounds and cuts throughout her slender body, each pouring out various amounts of blood. Blood stains came from her mouth, and her eyes looked back at him with a dead glare. She then fell backwards onto the altar. A pool of blood slowly emerged from under her.

Nero gasped, and went to her side. "Kyrie! Kyrie! Wake up! Please... Stay with me! Save your strength!"

She gave no movement, and was still limp.

Nero's eyes widened. "No... NO! PLEASE! STAY WITH ME! KYRIE? KYRIE!"

Finally realizing it was all in vain, Nero let out a anguished cry. "KYRIIEE!" He then began sobbing aloud. This moment was what turned his life into the living hell that it was. Into the pit of revenge that plagued his mind.

"Yes... This is when I took her, wasn't it?"

Nero's eyes widened, tears still streaming. He quickly turned back, to see that the entire church was empty and dark, looking old and ruined. Multiple holes were in the ceilings and the walls. Outside, the sun had instantly disappeared and had been replaced by a thunderous sky pouring out rain, as if some higher force was saddened at the turn of events. In the middle of it all stood the man responsible for the act, with blade and scabbard in hand. The Dark Slayer, Vergil Sparda looked at him with a murdurous glare and a smirk.

"I remember now. It was supposed to be your wedding day, was it not?" he asked.

Nero reached out for his Blue Rose, but found that his gun was not in its holster.

"Yes... You thought you could overpower me. You thought you could protect her," Vergil continued.

Nero reached for his Red Queen, but also found it was not there.

"But in reality, your effort was all in vain. You charged at me like a wild animal, letting pride and anger overwhelm you."

Nero, beyond angry at the man, lifted his hand to fire magic at him, but found that no magic was flying at the opposing half-demon. He didn't even feel his l'Cie mark at all.

"You did not know how to control those emotions. Your feelings are what stopped you from obtaining and finding your true potential. And this failure cost you dearly."

Nero's teeth were clenching. Every word he heard only fueled his anger even more. His fists were slowly clenching as he glared hatefully at the monster before him.

Vergil stared at the Yamato. "You were helpless, as she experienced every single cut from this blade. She was alive long enough to feel it, you know. She died a most painful and agonizing death."

Vergil glanced again at Nero, who was growling like a feral beast at this point. "And it was all because your power was weak. You had no chance of saving her. It was all your fault-"

"GRRAAGGHH!" cried Nero as he charged towards Vergil with his Bringer raised. His eyes were full of hatred, intent on ripping him apart.

Vergil waited patiently as Nero swung for him. Vergil kicked the fist away, leaving Nero open. The Slayer sent a flurry of punches at the boy's chest. Nero found an opportunity and tried to backhand him with his left hand. Vergil ducked, and socked him in the face. Nero swung for his head left and right, but Vergil blocked them with his arms. Nero then did an underhanded swing, which he missed due to his opponent leaning backwards. He landed a hit on his gut, making Vergil jerk backwards. The Slayer then punched the side of Nero's head, and kicked his gut, making him lose his balance. Nero swung at Vergil wildly, while said person ducked and landed quick punches, backhands and kicks to different parts of his body. The devil hunter, swung at the half-devil's face, forcing him to duck. At the same time, Nero swung an overheard punch toward Vergil's face, as Vergil swung towards Nero's face. Their fist landed on each other at the same time, and sending the Dark Slayer flying backwards, and Nero upwards.

Vergil slid on the ground, but pushed off of the ground to regain his balance. Nero, however, crashed into the rafters above, and landed face flat on the floor with debris falling over him. He groaned as he got up, due to his back hurting from the impact.

"Can you feel it?" asked Vergil. "Do you feel the pain of reality striking you? I can. It's as plain as day. You should know by now that you cannot win. It is pointless to keep on fighting. You're only option is to die-"

"Shut... Up..." muttered Nero. Vergil raised an eyebrow as Nero glared at him. "Shut... "SHUT THE FUCK UP!"

Nero charged him again, fist swinging for his opponent. Vergil only sighed. "Ignorant fool."

Nero jabbed at Vergil multiple times, but said person pushed each swing away with the movement of his hands. A jab at Nero's neck pushed him back, and Vergil followed with a kick to his chest. He then jumped into the air, and kicked Nero at his neck. Nero was now at the altar. Vergil did a whirlwind kick to Nero's face, making him topple over the table. Nero quickly jumped up, and kicked the table towards Vergil, who jumped over it. Vergil kicked Nero continuously, while he ducked and blocked them with his forearms. Nero tried to punch the man's chest, but Vergil pushed his arm away and kicked the boy's chest. Nero took a few steps back, dunking and jumping over the kicks and leg swipes that Vergil was performing. Nero swung for Vergil, who ducked and punched him in the gut. Vergil then uppercut him, swung his right fist to his face, then swung his left fist, and finally jabbed his fist into Nero's gut. Blood was forced out of Nero's mouth. He was bare regaining his breath when the Sanctum l'Cie landed a strong kick to his stomach, sending backwards and out of the stained-glass window.

Nero was rolling down the wet hill, stopping until the concrete floor of the steps stopped him. He felt pain throughout his body from all of the cuts and bruises. He got up and clenched his arm. He examined his surroundings to see that he was in a graveyard. Footsteps were heard and he saw Vergil descending down the steps.

"Look out you. Battered and weak. I can see that you barely have enough to fight, let alone stand," he said.

Growling, Nero went to punch Vergil, but his swing was slow and weak. He swung his left and and right, but they were easily blocked. Vergil then kicked his chest and sent him falling backwards into the stairs. His head slammed into the concrete. When he fell to solid ground, he felt his forehead, and was startled to see blood pouring.

"Blood. The proof of one's mortality," stated Vergil as he walked forward. "It covers you, proving even more that you are not worthy of my time."

"I told you to SHUT THE FUCK UP!"

Nero swung his Devil Bringer at Vergil. So consumed with rage, Nero did not see Vergil smirk. He swatted the arm away with Yamato's scabbard, and left him open. The next moment came very quickly for Nero. His eyes widened when he felt a huge pain in his right arm. He looked and saw that his Devil Bringer had been severed from his body. Vergil had cut Nero's arm off.

He let out a pained scream as he grabbed his wound. Vergil quickly sheathed Yamato, and held his right hand to Nero's face. Nero looked up to see a gray light in his face, and was then blasted away by the power of Ruinga. Nero was sent flying backwards, crashing through gravestones, and skidding through the ground. He finally stopped when he reached towards the edge of the graveyard. He was lying down on the ground, beaten to the point of near-death.

Nero then glanced to his right. There, under a dead tree, stood a lone grave near a cliff. On its face was the name of his fiancée. "K- Kyrie..." He then rolled onto his stomach, and began to drag himself with his left hand. He spit out whatever blood that was in his mouth. When he finally reached the headstone, he leaned his head on it, embracing it as if it were the person.

"I am surprised that you still have enough energy to stand," said the voice of Vergil, who had appeared before Nero. "However, do you not realize that your efforts are in vain? You have nothing left to fight for. Your body is beyond repair. Fighting me will only cost you more-"

"I don't care!" blurted Nero. "I... I told you b- before..." he panted. "I don't... I don't care about power... I just want to kill you... So you ca- can't hurt... Anyone..."

"Therein lies your very problem," he responded. "You do not seek power. You would always charge and fight me, without the proper preparation. And I know why... Because you don't care about yourself. You don't care about anything. You would rather die this very moment, and be done with it all."

"T- That's a lie!" shouted the devil boy.

"That mentality is the reason why you will never surpass me. It is that mentality that stops you from gaining power." He paused. "That mentality is why you will not save them..."

Nero raised an eyebrow. "W- What are you-?" He then noticed Vergil was pointing at somewhere. Nero's eyes drifted to where he was pointing to, and could not contain his shock.

Leaning on various gravestones where the other six l'Cie. Lightning was had cuts all over her, with her throat slit. Snow had bruises on his eyes and all over his body. Sazh was bleeding with gunshot wounds over his body. Hope had patterned bruise over his neck. Fang and Vanille were leaning on each other. They were both pale and dripping wet.

Nero took a step back. "No... No, no... NO!"

Suddenly images began appearing appearing in his head. He could see Lightning being impaled and swiped at by various monsters. She was screaming in pain. Snow can be seen being pounded on by soldiers and and Behemoths. Sazh was cornered to a wall, helpless as PSICOM soldiers fired upon him. Hope struggled to get the rope that tied his hands together off, but could not do it before a soldier pulled the lever. Fang and Vanille struggled under the water, as they could not get to the surface due to them being tied to each other. This went on for five minutes. They stopped moving after that.

"STOP!" shouted Nero. "WHY ARE YOU SHOWING ME THIS? STOP IT, PLEASE!" He clenched his head with his hand. "This can't be happening... It can't... Make it... Make it end... Make it all end..." he pleaded.

Yamato was then impaled into his stomach. Nero gasped in surprise he began to feel the pain. "There it is. You cannot face the truth, and would rather die. Now you shall get your wish. Just let death overtake you. Welcome it with open arms." He then pulled the O-Katana out of Nero's stomach.

Nero stumbled back, and lost his footing, falling into the cliff. As he fell backwards, he reached out for the six corpses. The last person he saw before he closed his eyes was Lightning. His eyes remained closed, never to open again.

-The Lindblum-

Nero jumped up from his sleep, only to hit the metal part of the bunk bed. He put his hand on his forehead, checking for any blood. He then noticed that his Bringer was still there. He then looked over his shoulder, to see that he and the other l'Cie were sleeping peacefully, save for Fang. Snow was on the floor, snoring loudly. His leg was over Hope's stomach, said person twitching in his sleep. Lightning was sleeping peacefully on the bunk bed opposite of him. He sighed in relief, knowing that all of his friends were safe.

This was a different nightmare than usual. Usually it involved Kyrie and Vergil. But it also had Lightning, Snow, Hope, Vanille, Sazh, and Fang. 'What could it mean?'

He planted his hands on his face. After a while, he decided to get some air. He quietly stepped over Snow and Hope, and walked out of the room, putting on his coat as he did so. He walked by himself for a few minutes, until he found a huge window. Outside, the sun was rising above the moving clouds. He had his arms behind his back and stared outside. Many thoughts were racing throughout his mind. Being a l'Cie, his vendetta with Vergil, Serah's appearance, and this whole Chosen thing. But more importantly, what did he have to live for? His reason to live was to kill Vergil. But after that, what would he do?

He then stared at his Devil Bringer. The arm represented who he was. A human who was made into a demon by some divine prank or miracle. Why did he have it? Was it really to send demons to Hell? Was it supposed to serve a greater purpose?

"You're up early," said a foreign voice. Nero looked up to see Fang, who was on leaning on the upper walkways.

"Yeah. I had a nightmare. It woke me up," responded Nero.

Fang jumped over the rail, and landed next to Nero, startling him a bit. She then looked out of the window. "Sunrises don't get better than this, eh?"

"Nah. I think it would be better with an ocean. Sunrises need on ocean to glimmer," he expressed.

They both continued to look at the scene, but Fang spoke again. "So. What was your nightmare about?"

"I, uh... I'd rather not talk about it," he answered.

"Oh, c'mon. It couldn't be that bad," she urged.

"Oh yeah? In my dream, we all die," explained Nero. This silenced to woman.

"Well, we can't have nice dreams everyday," she said.

"Where were you, by the way?" asked Nero. "When I woke up, you weren't there."

"Oh, nowhere. I just went to check up with Raines. He says they haven't found Vanille and the other guy yet." she answered.

Nero side glanced her. "You worried?"

"Well of course! If I found out that something happened to Vanille, whoever's responsible is gonna get it! I'm not joking about the "tearing the sky down" thing!" she blurted while pounding her fists together.

Nero remained quiet. In truth, he was hardly paying attention to her. He was lost in his thoughts, when he remembered Serah. "Say, Fang. You were a crystal statue, right? What do you know about Purgatory?"

Fang then looked at him in surprise. "Wha- How'd you know about Purgatory? No one's supposed to know about that!"

Nero raised his hands in defense. "Wa- Wait up a sec. Look, I already spoke to Light and Snow about this. A few days ago, I was almost killed, and fell into a dream-like state. There, my consciousness went to Purgatory. Serah was there waiting for me. If it wasn't for her, I wouldn't be here now," he explained.

Fang then nodded in understanding. "Oh really? Didn't know that was possible," she muttered.

"Well, what can you tell me about that place?" he asked.

"Well," she started, "it's pretty peaceful, actually. Many other l'Cie have it made there. Heck, there are l'Cie who've been there before me and Vanille! However, we rarely saw anyone." She then stared into the sky outside. "But... I guess me and Vanille got... Bored. You see, as peaceful and nice it is there, it couldn't compare to home. To Gran Pulse. Its weird, y'know? One day bein' in your world, and another the next! But then again, you're no stranger to that either."

"Yeah," responded Nero. In reality, he was paying little attention to her. He was still dwelling on more important, thoughts.

"HEY!" shouted a voice. Both l'Cie looked over to their caller, Rygdea, He had a blowhorn in his hand. "Cid wanted me to get you guys. Says that there's been a development. I already woke up the other l'Cie, with the blowhorn. Shoulda' seen their faces!"

"Yeah, yeah, we're comin'" she replied. Fang turned to Nero. "C'mon, Pretty Boy. They might've found Vanille and the other guy!"

Nero nodded in response, and followed the Pulsian woman. Even as he walked, a sole question plagued his mind. Up until know, he had never thought about it. But after that disturbing dream, he needed to ask himself this. 'If I kill Vergil... Will I truly be free?'

-Airship Hangar-

As Rygdea lead Nero and Fang, the other l'Cie came from another corridor.

"'Sup, guys. Didn't see you this morning," greeted Snow.

"I went to go check up with Raines. Pretty Boy, here, had a nightmare, and went for a walk," answered Fang.

"A nightmare? What happened?" asked Hope.

"We all die," responded both Nero and Fang.

Lightning groaned. "Great. Even in dreams, we end up with something bad happening to us."

"Ah, lighten up, Sunshine. Chances are, that dream's a load of Behemoth dung. Don't worry about it," assured Fang.

Lightning's expression changed into a confused one. "Sunshine?"

"Yeah. Your mood just brightens everyone's day," she sarcastically remarked.

"Funny. I've yet to see that happen," muttered Nero, earning him a glare from the soldier.

When they made it into the enormous hangar, many soldiers were running about. Some were carrying cargo, while others were signaling ships and planes to fly off. There were various television screens on the walkway, and in front of one of them was Brigadier General Cid Raines.

He turned to the l'Cie, smiling as he did so. "Ah. I hope the accommodations were pleasant."

"It ain't home, but it'll do," responded Nero.

"Ah, we were so caught up with securing your position, we were not able to be properly introduced." He held out his hand to Nero, Light, and Hope. "I'm Cid Raines-"

"Brigadier General of the Sanctum Skyfleet. We know," interjected Lightning as she shook his hand.

"Ms. Lightning Farron of the Bodhum Security Regiment. I've heard stories of your exploits. It's an honor."

"Yeah, sure. Thanks for helping us out of there," she said. Cid nodded in response.

He then held his hand out to Nero, who shook it with his human hand. "Name's Nero. Just Nero."

"Yes. From what Snow tells me, you are a visitor like Fang. I take it that arm of yours is a result of becoming a l'Cie?" he asked.

"Um... Actually, its came due to natural cause," he explained. Noticing Cid's confused look, he responded, "It's a long story."

Hope then tugged on Cid's coat. "Excuse me... Did you guys manage to get my dad out of there?"

"Ah, you're Mr. Estheim's son, Hope. And yes. We were able to relocate him to a secure area. He is safe, son, so you can rest easy about that topic."

Hope sighed in relief. At least his only blood relative was still alive.

"Alright, enough with the intros!" blurted out Fang. "You called us here, Raines. So whatever it is that you have to say, it better be good."

"Of course," he replied. "There have been new developments on the location on the other l'Cie. The good news is that we know where they are."

Fang eyes opened up in relief, while Snow gave off his smirk. Lightning, only crossed her arms, and Hope looked up in surprise. Nero only glanced at the man.

"And the bad news?" asked Nero, in a suspicious tone.

Raines took out a remote control and turned on a monitor that was attached to a metal pillar. "The Sanctum has them."

The l'Cie looked at the television screen, where a large ship was escaping the clouds. The outer area was covered with gold and silver alloy covering the ship all the way to its nose. The wing surrounded two engines that had propellers inside. In the back area of the ship, where the bridge was located, a circular dome covered it.

_"There she is. The Palamecia, pride of the Sanctum Skyfleet!"_ said the reporter in the broadcast. _"This mighty flagship currently serves as a prison for the l'Cie apprehended in Nautilus."_

Multiple airships surrounded the flagship, monitoring any attempts of infiltration. Many other warships surrounded the leader of the fleet.

_"The l'Cie will face official sentencing upon the convoys arrival in the capitol."_

"So what the hell's up with the freak show?" asked Snow.

"So the Primarch can stand in judgement pf the villainous l'Cie... And their execution as the climax," explained Cid. "The people will cheer their demise, and the fal'Cie's dominion will remain undisputed."

Nero growled. "Those people haven't been told a thing. No. They haven't tried to learn a thing."

"As long as the fal'Cie keeps them safe, they live like mindless puppets," commented Lightning. "It's all part of their plan."

"All of that is true," interjected Raines. "However, fate is in our favor this day. It seems that an opportunity has presented itself."

He pointed them toward the monitor again. _"In a display of unwavering dedication to duty, the Primarch, himself, has boarded the Palamecia, focusing his personal attention on on resolving the Pulsian crisis." _

"So that's their plan. They're baiting us. They want draw us out. They expect us to make the first move," observed Fang.

"That's right. "Here are your friends. So come and get them." It's classic warfare," explained Lightning.

"Are fucking kidding me?" blurted out Nero.

On the television screen, the Sanctum official Gaylor Leunam was giving a speech. A noticeable change was that he was wearing an eye patch on his right eye.

_"Our main priority is the transport of the prisoner l'Cie. However, should the other l'Cie attempt to take them back, we will be ready for them. We will not waver, and our division's resolve is indestructible . Today, a new page in the history of our great civilization will be made. Today, we will prevent another war with the hell below!"_

He was received with cheers of soldiers and questions from the reporters in attendance.

"How is it that this bastard is still alive? He and his metal chicken went down in flames!" exclaimed Nero.

"There was a report sayin' that he used an eject button before he got out," explained Rygdea. "Tough luck, kid."

"I said my name was Nero," he snapped.

The broadcast spoke again. _"Breaking news! It seems that the Sanctum did not just capture l'Cie. We have just confirmed that the l'Cie had an accomplice. It is a man, and he is currently in Sanctum custody."_

Hearing this, the l'Cie turned to the screen. "Wait, three prisoners?" asked Hope. "I thought it was just Sazh and Vanille.?"

"Yeah," responded Nero. "I sent them off. There was no one else..."

_"We have footage of the prisoners' arrival on the Palamecia. We are showing the footage now."_

On the screen, reporters were being blocked as Sazh and Vanille walked inside. Behind them, a man in red with a wide smirk was being led. Suddenly, a PSICOM Infiltrator put the finger in his facing the man's face. Whatever the soldier said was bleeped.

_"You *beep*-ing traitor! How could you betray us, *beep*-hole!" The soldier then punched the man._

_The red coated man glared at daggers at the soldier. "The *beep* did you just do? Get the *beep* over here!" The man kicked the guards escorting him and charged at the soldier. He kicked the soldier in his private areas, and then head butted him. He then started stomping on him repeatedly. Soldiers then grabbed the man and a female official whacked the man with her baton. She ordered the soldiers away, while medics tended to the severely beat down soldier._

_Cameras rushed to the man's face, where he was shouting at the soldier. "Yeah! Think twice before you *beep* with me! Your *beep* is mine! Your *beep* is mine, *beep*!" He then turned to the camera, a blank expression on his face. It was quickly replaced with a huge grin. There the footage stopped._

_"We have no known information on this man. However the Sanctum has given a name. It seems that this man is called "Dante." We'll have more more information for you as soon as possible. Until then stay tuned."_

The four l'Cie looked at the screen. They were silent, despite the sounds of men working and ships flying.

"Fuck. Me..."

They looked at Nero, who had look of both recognition and shock. His jaw was dropped, and he didn't take his eyes off of the picture of the man.

"T- That man... He looks like Vergil," said Hope, in a both surprised and frightened voice.

"He's worse... That's his brother... Dante..." said Nero in a shaky voice. "And... He's my boss..."

"You're boss? As in your job?" asked Snow.

"Yes... My boss..." repeated Nero.

"Wait a minute. Is it that same boss that gave you that amulet?" asked Light.

"Yes... My boss..."

"Hmph. Looks like someone's been ditchin' work," joked Fang.

"Yes... My boss..."

Lightning walked up to Nero and slapped him, shaking him after that. "You good?"

Nero blinked a few times, and took a breath. "Yeah. I'm good."

"So, uh... If you don't mind me asking, what exactly does this mean?" asked Rygdea.

"It means that we have one more person to break out," responded Nero.

"Huh... Remind me again... Why?"

"Because, he's my boss. And we can't just leave him to the Sanctum. He's a half demon, like me. They might experiment on him. If they do that, we're all in a world of hurt," Nero explained.

"Oh... Didn't think about that. Anyway, how do you plan to get him?" asked Rygdea.

"If there's one thing I know about Dante, it's that he can't keep his mouth shut. Chances are, he's in solitary confinement. But he'll annoy the guards into submission. They'll have no choice but to move him in with Sazh and Vanille, who he'll probably start talking with."

"You mean instead of annoying the grunts, he'll be annoying Vanille?" asked Fang, her tone hinting that she did not agree with that plan.

"I don't think he'll annoy them," assured Nero. "If he did annoy them, they would have ditched him a long time ago."

"Are you certain? It's dangerous to make a move based on a hunch," warned Raines.

"It's not a hunch. It's a fact. And he'll be with the other l'Cie. If anything, our plan hasn't changed at all," he countered.

Snow then walked up. "Well if that's how things are gonna go down, then I'll take that action. All in!" He pounded his fists together.

Rygdea smirked. "In that case, I'll be ready for you guys, whenever you guys want to take off." He then walked away.

Lightning turned to Raines. "And just how are we going to get on the flagship?" she asked, raising an interesting point.

"The PSICOM fleet currently has us under surveillance. While they're occupied with us, we'll use a ship to slip you five into the Palamecia. Once the opportune moment has presented itself, we will launch an all-out strike to assist you. Of course, it will be after you have secured the prisoners."

She nodded in response. When she turned, the others had already left to make preparations. The nearest one was Nero, who had his arms crossed, and eyes closed.

"What's up?" asked Lightning, gaining his attention.

"Nothing. Just thinking to myself," he replied.

"About what?" she further inquired.

"I'm just wondering... I'm thinking about how Boss got to this world," he confessed.

"Really... How did you get here? You never really told us how," she asked.

"Er- Well... I got flung up into space..."

"Space? Isn't it impossible for someone to survive up there?"

"Yeah, but I got covered head-to-toe with demonic aura. It kinda protected me. I flew into some portal, and ended up near Cocoon. And well, here I am."

Lightning nodded in response. Nero glanced at her. "Nervous?"

"I'd be lying if I said no," she replied. "What about you? You nervous about seeing your boss again?"

He shrugged. "Not really. I already know what I'm gonna do when I see him."

"What?"

"I'm gonna sock him in the friggin' face," he said with a smirk.

Light gave a surprised look. "Won't that get you fired?"

"Nope. We always fight with each other from time to time. Nothing you should worry about," he assured.

Snow was finished with his preparations, and joined the two. "Hey guys! You two ready?'

"As I'll ever be," said the half-devil.

The hero's face then turned serious. "When we get there, rescuing Sazh, Vanille, and the other guy will be our top priority. Charging in without thinking is only gonna screw us over, so we'll have to go with whatever plan we make." He kept on a serious face for a few seconds before letting out a short laugh. "Look at me, talkin' about plans and strategies!"

"Where we're going, we're gonna need it," said Lightning.

The three walked to where Rygdea was. Fang and Hope were already there. "Hey guys! You ready to take off?"

They all nodded to him, and he then lead them to a ship on a landing pad. It was similar to the same ship that got them out of the Bresha Ruins. It had an engine on its tail, with two large wings on both of it's sides. The cockpit had black tinted windows, hiding the identity of its crew.

"This baby's a PSICOM class ship," explained Rygdea. "This here ship'll get you to the Palamecia."

"So that's the plan?" asked Snow. "We're going in as cargo?"

"You got any better ideas? If you're that upset about it, then think of it as a, uh-, parting gift to our stinkin', rotten government. You guys are the bomb that will make those PSICOM guys go out with a bang!"

"You expect us to them all out? From the looks of the place, I think they might have the entire division on board," expressed Lightning.

"Who cares about how many lackey's they've got? Vanille's in there!" interjected Fang.

"I wouldn't worry about her, Fang. She's tough," assured Hope. "Tougher than I can ever be..."

"Aw. Hope's complementing his girlfriend. How nice," quipped Nero.

Hope shot him a glance. "N- Nero! She's not-"

"GIRLFRIEND?" blurted Fang. "Since when?"

"Actually it's not official yet, but it's a work in progress. Kids take time for this stuff to develop. At least that's what Boss told me," explained Nero.

Hope was sweating rivers now, putting a hand on his head. Fang glared daggers at the boy. "Listen kid, if you wanna go out with her, you're gonna have to prove it to me first. I can't just leave her to you, who's way younger."

Hope began to panic more, while Nero began laughing out loud. Snow and Rygdea tried to not to chuckle, while Light shook her head.

"C- Can we just focus on the matter at hand?" blurted the boy.

Deciding to change the topic, and get the team to focus, Lightning spoke to the boy. "Hope, are you scared?"

Letting out a sigh, he looked at the soldier. "Well... Yeah. In fact, I'm terrified." He then smiled. "But I know that everything'll be okay." He gestured to everyone around them. "I've got you, this guy, the big kid, and Fang. We're all in this huge mess. So we've gotta stick together!"

Nero didn't know why, but he felt pride well up inside him. The kid had gone very far from the frail little kid from Palumpolum. Whether it was Lightning's hardness, or him urging the boy to do what was right, it had changed him for the better.

Nero only crossed his arms, and said, "I'm not a kid..." He then patted the boy's head. "But you're startin' to become a big kid, yourself." The boy gave a a grin back to him.

"Uh, I hate to break up the whole bonding thing, but its go time. Now or never," interjected Rygdea as he was walking towards the platform.

Nero gave a short chuckle, and then spoke up. "So what are we waiting for? Our friends are waiting for us, and I'm sure they'd love to be a part of this bonding. So let's go!"

The half-demon led the way, as Snow talked to Hope. "What do you mean by "This guy?""

Nero looked to his left, where Fang looked back with a smirk on her face. He looked to his left, where Lightning looked at him, and nodded.

Nero looked forward, and smirked as he wiped his nose.

"Let's rock."

-Palamecia Medic Center-

""We didn't expect to see you here, Your Eminence." Puh! She's just kissing up to the old man to gain influence!" blurted Gaylor.

"You should watch your tone, Gaylor. It is disrespectful," chided Yaag.

Both men were monitoring the operation being done on the other side of the window. Scientists and doctors were adding modifications to a soldier in black armor. It lied flat on a table, not moving at all as tubes inserted artificial blood into the soldier. It was as if it was shut down for maintenance.

"I must say, I am somewhat disappointed in our super soldier. It seems it was not as "super" as I had hoped. SS001 Codename: Hollow," he mused.

"What compelled you to even attempt this? Does the family even know about this?" asked Rosch.

"This individual does not need consent of the family. Anybody associated with this man is dead," he explained. 'At least she will be.'

Rosch glanced at Gaylor's arm. The one that had the robotic one under it. "Gaylor, I really suggest that you take a leave of absence. It would only be temp-"

Gaylor faced him quickly. "Don't you dare begin nagging me now! I've had enough with my father telling that bitch, Jihl, to control this entire operation! You continue with this bullshit about how I am going insane... Well I'm not going insane, my friend. I'm just ahead of the curve."

"Gaylor... You have yet to recover from the loss of your eye," stated Yaag calmly.

"I know... And do you know who put this eye patch on me? Huh?" Yaag opened his mouth, but Gaylor cut him off. "It was that damn motherfucking l'Cie! Along with that soldier bitch, and that punk boy! All of them did this to me. But they'll pay. Heheheh... Everyone of those fools will pay! Those fucking bastards-"

"Watch your tongue, Gaylor."

Both men turned to see a man facing them. He was bald, and his face was lined with age. He wore a similar uniform as Gaylor and Rosch, but it was adorned in black and gray. The man had a few missing teeth, and had a seemingly good smile. He was Somar Leunam, the commander-in-chief of the entire Sanctum army.

"I gave you specific orders, son, so you should have no other motives than to do what it is that you are told. And the reason you are here is because of both your actions, and what happened to you. You should be honored. You ensure the entire stability of this operation," he explained.

"But father-"

"YOU WILL DO AS YOU ARE TOLD!" snapped Somar. "If you are lucky, you will actually get the opportunity to defeat the l'Cie, and become Primarch. But until then, you will learn your place."

Gaylor snarled to himself, looking back and forth at Rosch and his father, before taking his leave. "You're all fools... All of you."

As Gaylor stormed off, Yaag saluted the man, and bowed in respect. "My apologies for his behavior, but it seems that the operation produced... malign side effects."

Somar patted Yaag's shoulder. "No need to fret, my boy. That is just how my son is. There is nothing you should apologize for."

"Why did you allow him to continue as he is? He is not in a state of mind that is suitable for this line of work."

"Though Gaylor is impetuous, he has done a great service to our people. He will do the right thing," assured the old man.

After a few moments of silence, Rosch saluted the man again. "Well then, I must return to my post. Monitoring the entire fleet is one of our many priorities. If you'll excuse me-"

"Ah, please wait. In truth, I would like to personally see this so called "super soldier," if I may?" asked Somar.

"What? Well, Gaylor is the one overseeing the project. He is the one to ask about the subject."

"Yes well, you know how uncooperative he is when he has his temper. Please. Allow me to see it and verify its usefulness."

Yaag eyed him for a moment before responding, "That individual is a person, not a weapon."

He then led his superior towards the medical center, unaware of the wicked smirk that grew on the old man's face.

-Prison Cells-

Vanille was sitting down on a read seat that was the first in a row of four. In the back of the room, Sazh was leaning on a metal vent, lost in his thoughts.

"Sazh?" called Vanille.

The afro man let out a sigh, and then sat down on the metal vent opposite her. "I'm pathetic," he muttered.

"No... I'm the one who should be saying that," responded the Pulsian girl. "I was the one who lied to everyone."

"Who cares? Just forget it," advised Sazh. "It's already been done. Ain't nothin' you can do about it now."

"But if I'd just told the truth... Then you... And Dajh..."

"Now, now! No need to shed anymore tears, little lady," assured Sazh. "You know, I've been thinking about something. You were a crystal once, right?" She nodded back. The chocobo chick fluttered to his hand. "And you woke up too. If that's true, then means Dajh will wake up too. Right?"

Vanille stood up and examined Sazh. No longer was he consumed with rage and despair over the crystallization of his son. In fact she saw something that surprised her. He had hope.

She nodded at him. "Yes. I believe so."

Suddenly, the door slid open. Escorted by two PSICOM Infiltrators was Dante, a huge grin on his face. "Hey! Easy with the coat, boys."

Both men then unlocked the man's cuffs, and shoved him to the ground.

"There! He's your problem now!" blurted one of the guards, and pushed a few buttons on the control panel, causing the door to close.

"Well that was ruuude," muttered Dante as he stood up and clenched his wrists. He then turned to the two l'Cie. "'Eey! Whatsup, peeps?"

"And where have you been?" asked Sazh.

"Well, they locked me up in solitary confinement. But it seems that even I'm too much for these guys," explained Dante.

"So, whatcha do?" asked the girl.

"Oh nothing special. Just annoyed them into submission. Works every time. However, they did manage to inflict some torture into me," he commented.

"Wait, torture? What kind of torture?" asked the pilot.

"They thought sending in that hot lady was torture enough," he explained.

"Lady? You mean Nabaat?"

"Yep. Thought she could do some bad stuff to me. Alas, I was able to tame her in the end. I was able to get her to admit that mine was a handsome face, that did not come ever so often. We ended up makin' out, and even arranged for a second date. She-"

"She put you through electroshock torture, didn't she?" interjected Sazh.

"Yeah. Didn't feel a thing. In fact, it was ticklish. But I'm serious about the whole making out and second date business. Well, the making out part at least," he restated.

"Riiight," remarked Sazh.

"Anyways, I was able to spot our gear. They're just a few rooms away. Once shit goes down, we'll be able to obtain them," he explained. Dante then made his way to the chairs Vanille was standing next to and lied down on them, putting his arms behind his head.

""Goes down?" What'll go down?" asked Sazh.

Dante sat up. "Wait. You don't know?" Both l'Cie shook their heads. "Wow. Sazh, I thought your pilot training taught you about situations like this!"

"I'm a commercial pilot, not a fighter pilot!" corrected Sazh.

The son of Sparda let out a sigh, and sat towards them. "They're using us as bait. They're telling your friends "He are your friends. Come and get them." We're just breadcrumbs leading Hansel and Gretel home. The kid and company are Hansel and Gretel. We are home. Get the picture?" He then lied down again. "It's classic warfare. I thought everyone knew this..."

"Wait so... Our friends are coming for us?" asked Vanille.

"Yep. Otherwise they wouldn't be your friends."

The room remained silent. "Nothing like the calm before the storm, eh?"

Ch. 21: Party Crashers

The l'Cie infiltrate the Palamecia, hoping to reunite with their companions. The reunion is cut short however, as an enemy from before attempts to exact revenge. As the l'Cie band together to defeat their enemy, a hidden player finally reveals himself. The being reveals to Nero a shocking truth; one that will shackle the foundations of his fractured soul.

**AN: I was inspired to do the preview after watching the walkthrough of Asura's Wrath plus the ending DLC. I've gotta say... That game is *sniffle* beautiful.**

**Anyway, lately I've been looking up DMC and FFXIII on the same search bar. I keep hoping to see a DMC/FFXIII fan art but come up with nothing. So, if anyone has a deviantart, or is an artist, contact me if you're interested in doing a Devil Fantasy XIII fanart.**

**Other than that, thank you all so much for the 24 more reviews.**

**Remember, READ AND REVIEW!**


	22. Party Crashers

**Capcom and Square-Enix own DMC and FFXIII respectively. AN: Guess who's on summer break? Yeah! No more school for me till fall! Hopefully I will be able to finish this fic, if not get a majority of it done by then. Very hopeful for next year after E3, but still dissapointed with no Versus XIII news. Oh, well. Anyway, I went back to previous chapters and added previews for every one. Now then, here's the next chapter. WARNING: I suggest going back and reading the preview from the last chapter, for I changed it.**

The Palamecia– Party Crashers

-Palamecia Bridge-

"Dude... Is this for real?" asked Felix.

"No... The people in the video are hand puppets- DUDE! What do you think?" blurted Adam.

Both of them were supposed to be monitoring the Palamecia's landing areas, but Adam found a rather "revealing" video that had a certain PSICOM colonel. What they were seeing contradicted a majority of what they heard about the woman.

"What are you two doing?" asked a female voice.

Both of the men felt their spines freeze. Only one voice sounded that serious. They both turned around, to see Col. Jihl Nabaat glaring at them.

"Why are you two not performing your duties?" she asked.

"Ye- duh- Well- Well see Ms. Nab-"

"That's Lieutenant Colonel Nabaat to you," she interjected. "Or did I, perhaps, choose the most incompetent people to perform the simple duty of staring at a computer screen?"

"N- no! Of c- course not, Ms.- Er, Sir- Guh, Lt. Col., Ma'am!" saluted Felix.

She smiled. "Good. Now, get back to your positions. Or should I start looking for a replacement-"

Both men saluted at her. "No, Ma'am. We'll be at out posts, Lt. Col. Nabaat!"

Both men returned to their respective posts, leaving the woman alone. She stood there for a few seconds, before looking over her shoulders. After verifying that no one was looking, she began typing in the computer. After finding the file she was looking for, she pressed a few keys before pressing the delete key.

She straightened herself and waked towards Primarch Dysley. 'It was just one time. Never again... Although, I'll have to do something about those two.'

Adam was muttering to himself as he sat down on his monitor. "Dumb bitch-"

Suddenly, an incoming transmission was coming from an incoming cruiser. He pressed a few keys and put the pilots on screen. "

"PSICOM Cruiser Designation:185639, this the Palamecia. What do you request?"

_"Palamecia, requesting permission to land, immediately,"_ said a gruff voice.

"Understood. Please transmit identification code."

After a minute, the code appeared on the screen. Adam began running it through the list of authorized cruisers.

_"What's the hold-up?"_ asked the pilot.

"Stand by. Verifying identification code," he answered.

_"You let me land this bird, or I'll ram it into your ass!"_ responded the pilot.

Adam growled to himself. "Dumbass hillbilly..."

_"WHAT WAS THAT?"_ shouted the voice, startling the man.

"Nothing... Your code has been verified. You're free to dock," told the worker.

_"'Bout damn time,"_ said the voice before the link was severed.

"Asshole," muttered Adam.

-Short-field Landing Deck #23-

Five minutes had passed since the cruiser had left. Beneath the dock was a wide area for cargo. In the middle of the area, a large white container had a beeping sound coming from it. There was a locking mechanism on the containers handle. Inside the wires and gears, a timer was counting down to the end.

Five. Four. Three. Two. One.

*click*

After that there was a minute of silence. Suddenly, the container's door had opened slightly. Out of the little gap, a boy's head had peered out. He looked to his right, left, and right again, as if he were about to cross an intersection.

When he saw that there was nobody else there, he looked inside. "Alright, guys. Coast's clear."

He opened the door completely, and the boy walked out of the container. He was then followed by four other indviduals.

"Thank, goodness!" said Fang as she stretched herself. "A few more minutes, and I swear that Pretty Boy's arm would have blinded me."

Nero didn't bother to respond, as he was surveying the area. He pointed to the far right, behind a few boxes and crates. "Over there. Those stairs can take us up."

The soldier, Lightning, examined the stairs. "We have the element of surprise in our favor. Let's try to take advantage of it."

"So what are we waiting for? Let's go rescue our friends!" urged Snow.

The l'Cie began to head for the stairs.

-Short-field Landing Deck #08-

"Man, can you believe that they closed of Nautilus too? Thanks to his whole crisis, they closed up all of the nice spots on Cocoon," complained Phil.

The three soldier friends, Phil, Kirk, and Dewey were heading for the ship that was docked there to find their friend, Doug, and go to lunch.

"Don't trip, man. I hear Eden's nice this time of year," consoled Kirk.

"Yeah. And with the whole l'Cie execution, it's gonna be party central!" added Dewey.

Phil's head fell. "Yeah... But Lauren's not gonna be there."

Both friends groaned. "Don't worry about her! This is why we're you're friends! We help you get your mind off of stuff. Trust me. Lauren won't mind if you spent a week with pals!"

Phil let out a sigh, as they reached the ramp of the ship.

Dewey called to it. "YO, Dougie Doug! We've got lunch ready. So hurry up!"

There was no response from the ship, making the trio look at each other. Dewey called out for Doug again. Again, they were met with silence.

"Maybe he already went off to lunch?" suggested Dewey.

"No. Doug said for us to meet him at this landing pad," challenged Kirk.

Anxious, Phil made his way up the ramp, urging his friends to follow. They traversed the corridors of the cruiser, until they made it to the cockpit. When they opened the door, they froze. All over the room, blood was spilled over the seats and controls. Severed limbs and corpses were scattered throughout the floor. The pilot, Doug, was lying on the floor in a pool of his own blood.

Phil was in a state of shock, until he snapped out of it. He reached for the communicator on his belt and activated it.

"CODE RED! INTRUDER ALERT! WE HAVE A CODE RED!"

-Short-field Landing Deck #23-

The rescuers were barely ascending the ramp, when suddenly the alarms went off.

**"CODE RED! REPEAT: CODE RED! ATTENTION ALL CREW! THIS IS NOT A DRILL! CODE RED!"**

-Palamecia Medical Center-

Scientists were startled from their work. They instantly rushed to their workplaces and retrieved their papers, hoping to salvage their research.

They were so occupied with thier belongings, they did not notice what was happening with the soldier on the table.

Behind the masked visor, Hollow's red eyes had opened. He had been activated.

-Short-field Landing Deck #23-

Lightning looked at the doors. Coming from them were a group of six soldiers, comprising of PSICOM Raiders and Infiltrators.

"How'd they find us so quickly?" asked Nero out loud.

"Doesn't matter," said Snow, who got into his fighting stance. "Let's rip 'em apart."

"Remember, Snow! We're here for Sazh, Vanille, and Nero's boss! So stay focused!" chided the soldier.

Nero aimed his Blue Rose at a Raider, and fired at his shoulder. Then, an Infiltrator took out a spherical contraption, and activated it. It started to glow in a light blue color. Nero thought it was a bomb, and was surprised that the soldier threw it at the Raider. The devil hunter was surprised even more when the bomb changed into energy and healed the Raider.

"What the- The grunts can use magic now?" he asked.

"Those are Manadrives," explained the soldier while she fired Ruin at a soldier, and dashed towards him. "They allow us to cast spells, but are only limited to one spell." She swiped her blade at the soldier a few times before jumping backwards, and firing at his head with her gunblade.

"Don't see how it matters though," shouted Fang. "These guys are still gonna get it!" She impaled one side of her Bladed Lance into an Infiltrator's gut, and swung it to throw him at a the Raider, who was about to swing his baton at Hope.

Hope fired Fira at a soldier, and followed it up with Firestrike. Snow dashed to that same soldier, and uppercutted him upwards into the air. Snow jumped into the air, and finished him off with Icestrike.

Nero ducked under the Raider's swing, and then kicked him away. A nearby Infiltrator fired at him, but he easily deflected them with his own bullets. Nero then used his Snatch ability to yank the soldier off of his feet. He then twirled him in the air, and threw him with the Raider, sending them falling off the edge. "Hmph. Just no skill."

Suddenly the doors were sealed, and a huge lock was heard on the other side.

"Damn. Looks like these guys are serious about not letting us in," remarked Fang.

"Where to now?" asked Snow to Lightning.

She looked around the pad, and finally got her idea when her eyes saw two pillars. They were poles with circular platforms on them. Lightning rushed towards the pillar and, surprisingly, jumped upwards to the first circular platform. She then side jumped to the next platform to the left, and then did a back flip jump to the top platform on the right pillar, and finally landing another jump to the walkway.

"Whoa," muttered Nero, Snow, and Hope simultaneously.

Light peered over the walkway, looking down at them. "Hurry up! We don't have all day."

Fang had already jumped for the pillars, and Snow had barely begun his ascent. Nero was about to go, but noticed the boy was still there.

"I, uh... I can't jump that high. Even if I'm a l'Cie..." he responded.

Nero shook his head as he let out a sigh. "Kid. You should seriously consider hitting up a gym when this is over," he advised. "Get on my back." The boy looked back at him with a startled expression. "NOW."

The boy walked up to the half-demon, as he knelt down low enough to grab on.

"Hang on tight," warned Nero. He stood up, pulled his Devil Bringer backwards. He then whipped his arm forward, summoning a spectral arm to grab the railing above. Nero then used his Snatch ability to pull him and the boy flying upwards. Hope let out a scream as Nero did a front flip, and landed on his feet. He looked forward to see the three other l'Cie on another platform that served as an elevator, and jumped on it as well. The hero then input some commands on a nearby monitor and the platform began to rise. The ascent ended, when the platform reached its limit. However, Lightning decided to jump to the top of the mechanism, and it served as a path to the walkways in the very top of the hangar.

The other l'Cie followed her down the walkway, and found an opening to their right. They entered a small corridor, and were startled to hear the sound of the wind coming from the end. When they got to the edge, they were welcomed with the sight of the clouds and the Sanctum Skyfleet. Below them was a walkway, so they landed on it. The wind blew in the opposite direction, blowing their hair, Light's cape, as well as Nero and Snow's coats.

The devil hunter peered over the edge, and his faced turned pale. "Whoa... Th- That's a long way down..."

Fang glanced at Nero. "What's this? Don't tell me that Pretty Boy has a fear of heights?" she taunted.

"Hell no! It's just... Well, I've never been this high up on foot," he explained.

"Well get used to it, man. 'Cause we're not goin' back the way we came from," stated Snow.

"Don't worry, we'll head over there," said Fang, as she pointed upwards. Above them was a path that led back inside the flagship.

"We've got a problem, though. That's too high up, even for us l'Cie," explained Lightning.

At that moment, two airships docked on nearby ports. It looked as if they were refueling their tanks.

"We can use those to get across... But I think I'll need your help again, Nero," said Hope.

The statement caused the devil hunter to groan. "You're killin' me, kid. You're killin' me." He knelt down so that Hope could get on his back, as they ran towards the ship.

Fang decided to toy with Nero more. "Don't get blown away now, Nero."

"Shut up, Fang."

"I mean, nothing compares to it. Ain't nothing like the wind on your face."

"I said zip it, Fang!" snapped Nero.

"Well, let's face it. Even l'Cie can't survive a fall from here-"

"SAY ONE MORE WORD, AND I'LL PUT THAT THEORY TO THE TEST!"

-Prison Cells-

"So let me get this straight... You're sayin' that you're from a another planet, the one next to this one in fact, but the last time you made a thought, it was five-hundred years in the past? And the reason you're here now, is because you were in some sort of cryogenic crystal sleep? And now, you're lost in a world you have no knowledge of, as well as a fellow friend of yours. Did I get all of that?" asked Dante, as he was laying down on the red chairs. Opposite of him was Sazh and Vanille sitting on the metal vent. Both men listened to her story about her awakening on Cocoon.

She nodded. "All in a nutshell," she replied.

There was a pause, before Dante spoke. "Man... You're one old lady."

"Yeah, and I still look cute," Vanille said giggling.

Sazh looked at her. "So you lied to your friend about not remembering your Focus... Because you didn't want to hurt people?"

Vanille looked down at the floor, with a saddened expression. "I... The thought of hurting people... People that lived peacefully and were happy... I couldn't bear the thought of that. So I just ran... And that's what I've been doing ever since."

The son of Sparda let out a deep sigh. He then pulled out a coin from his pocket. The coin he recently dubbed "the Coin of Fate." "Listen to me girly. Running's like a coin; it's two-sided. Running can only get you so far. I mean, sure, there are times when running can save your life. But then there are the those times that confrontations are unavoidable. In times like those, you gotta take a chance. Otherwise, you'll never truly be free." He then flicked the coin to the girl, who caught it with both hands. "Life, girly. No matter how far you run, life still goes on. All that matters is how you face it."

Vanille looked at the man in with a surprised expression. Though Dante had the appearance of a laid back, narcissistic neanderthal, he knew how to uplift people's spirits. She wondered to herself how he was able to know such things.

'Maybe... Maybe he had the same choice, and chose to face it... It probably made him as strong as he is now...' she thought.

The girl then glanced at the coin in her hand, and quickly realized its features. "Hey. This coin has the same picture on both sides."

"Yep. Used it on you guys when we met," confessed the half-demon.

Hearing this, Sazh snatched the coin from Vanille, and examined it. When he finished, he glared at the man. "Y- You! You tricked us, you dirty lyin' snake!"

"What? I left the decision up to the coin. And the coin always agrees with me," responded the man.

"Dante... You-"

Suddenly the alarms went off.

**"CODE RED! REPEAT: CODE RED! ATTENTION ALL CREW! THIS IS NOT A DRILL! CODE RED!" **

Both l'Cie were startled by the sudden noise. Dante, however, only smirked.

"Heh. Took the kid long enough," he muttered.

"Wait, Nero's here?" asked the afro man, completely forgetting about being tricked.

"Yep. And by now, he probably knows I'm here too."

"So it's just Nero? What about the others?" asked the Pulsian girl.

"They're most likely here too. The kid's tough, but he ain't stupid... Well sorta," told Dante.

A thought then came over Sazh. "But- But if PSICOM knows they're here, they'll try to move us away. And since they're dealin' with l'Cie, I'm guessing we don't have much time before the situation gets more tense."

"That's true, Sazhy," agreed Dante. "That only leaves us with one option. We gotta plan our escape."

Vanille's expression became solemn. "But... Do I deserve to escape?"

"What? You'd rather die?" asked the afro man, gaining her attention. "I mean, that's gotta scare you. Scares me and everyone. Even this lying cheat," He explained as he indicated Dante. "If it were me, I think I'd die of fright!" He thought about his next words. "So, I just push myself to live even harder. Heh. I can just imagine my son, Dajh, laughing at me because of the nonsense I'm sayin'... I'd do anything to see that smile."

Vanille smiled at the man, glad to know he had a goal for the future.

"Hate to take the spotlight from you two, but we still need a plan to blow this stand," reminded Dante.

Vanille quickly stood up. "Wait! Can't you do that one thing were you turn into an ugly monster?"

Dante sent her an offended look. "I prefer the terms smokin', sick, or stylish, instead of ugly. And no. I need my sword for that. Otherwise, my transformation would last for a split second. And they took all of my weapons and guns. Don't freak out though. I'll think of something. Did you guys know that I escaped from one of the most state-of-the-art prisons in my world, without even lifting a finger?"

Sazh wasn't listening to him, for he was trying to hatch up a plan to plan to escape. The chocobo chick decided to flutter in front of the man's face, chirping at him. In an instant, Sazh had found it. "Guys, I've got an idea!" He then let the chick land on his palm. "I'ma need you're help little man. Think you're up for it?"

The chick chirped happily in response.

-Crew Corridors-

The l'Cie managed to get inside, much to Nero's relief. Snow was leading the group around a corner, when he jumped backwards to avoid the oncoming gunfire. He quickly leaned against the wall, looking back at the others.

"Soldiers with guns?" asked Hope.

Snow nodded back at him. "Nothin' we can't handle." He then peered around the corner and called to the soldiers. "Let us through, now! Block our way, and you all die!"

The group glared at him incredulously. "The hell are you doin'? You trying to get us killed, dumbass?" chided Fang.

Snow shrugged. "Hey, I thought they'd do it. There's been enough bloodshed on their side."

Lightning sighed in frustration. "You thought they'd run? Let me give you a fresh reminder, so that thick skull of yours doesn't forget. Those soldiers think they're "protecting" Cocoon from l'Cie. In other words, the fal'Cie has them brainwashed!" she scolded.

This caused Snow to growl and slam his fist against the wall. "Those damn fal'Cie... It can't go on like this anymore! We have to stop them!"

"Well, the more we stand here, the longer they'll be in control," said Nero. "It shouldn't take that long to get past these goons. So let's-"

Suddenly, the alarms went off again.

**"ATTENTION ALL CREW! REPEAT: CODE GREEN! HOSTILE FORCES ON BOARD! CODE GREEN! ROGUE SANCTUM L'CIE DETECTED IN AREA-D. REPEAT: ROGUE SANCTUM L'CIE DETECTED! SECURITY FORCES STAND BY! REPEAT, CODE GREEN!"**

Hearing this, Nero glared at the nearby monitors. Lightning stared at him with a gaze of surprise. "Did they just say..."

"A rogue Sanctum l'Cie... Do- Do you think they... Is it who I think it is?" asked Hope.

The l'Cie looked at Nero, who clenched his Bringer fist. "It's him... Vergil..." he spat venomously.

Snow raised his hand. "Um... Okaaay, who's this Vergil guy? You guys talked about him back at the Lindblum."

"You haven't been paying attention have you? I mean "rogue Sanctum l'Cie" pretty much covers it," remarked Fang.

"Vergil is a Sanctum l'Cie we ran into when we first split up. He hates the Sanctum too, I think... But he... He's terrifyingly strong," explained Hope.

"A Sanctum l'Cie who hates the Sanctum?" asked Snow. "Great! I say we hit him up, and see if he wants to jo-"

"NO!" blurted Nero. The half demon walked straight up to his face. "The only thing I'm going to be asking him, is how he wants to die! I don't want any of you talking to him, looking at him, or getting in my way! He's mine-"

Suddenly he was turned around and instantly felt pain where the sun does not shine. He feel on his knees, holding his crotch, and saw a gun barrel in between his eyes. The soldier gave him a cold glare.

"Light- What the hell-"

"Now you you listen to me! I know you have a grudge against Vergil, but I also know how strong he is. Going against him blindly is not going to help you!" she explained. "But are you forgetting what we came for? Why we're here?" She paused to let him remember. "That's right. We're here for our friends. To save them. To give Cocoon back to the people. We have a goal to do, and I'll be damned if you go and fuck it up!" This surprised everyone, for she rarely uses language. "Now, I'm asking you, are you going to screw up this operation, or are you going to do as we planned, and help us save our friends?"

Nero glared at her with anger, but his expression softened when he saw something in her eyes. He did not know for sure, but for a split second, he thought he saw a different emotion in her eyes. He saw her eyes were those of someone pleading him to not go, not one that was demanding him.

He looked at the ground in embarrassment. "You... No, you're right... We're here for our friends... Not revenge... I'm sorry..."

Lightning kept her gun aimed at him, but then lowered it and sheathed it. She then extended her hand to Nero, which he took with his Bringer hand.

She was about to walk away, when his human hand touched her shoulder. "However," he interjected. "If he gets in our way, leave him to me. No point in doing this if he decides to ruin everything."

He then let go of her and walked into the hallway, with gun in hand as she and the others followed.

-Prison Cells-

**"ATTENTION ALL CREW! REPEAT: CODE GREEN! HOSTILE FORCES ON BOARD! CODE GREEN! ROGUE SANCTUM L'CIE DETECTED IN AREA-D. REPEAT: ROGUE SANCTUM L'CIE DETECTED! SECURITY FORCES STAND BY! REPEAT, CODE GREEN!"**

Dante looked up at the monitors flashing green. "Huh. Likes our friendly reunion's gonna be a family reunion too," he mused.

At that moment, the door opened. There were two PSICOM Infiltrators, a Vespid Soldier, and a PSICOM Huntress. The Huntress aimed her gun at Dante. "Hands in the air, and turn around!"

Dante chuckled as he did so. "You know, babe, if you wanted to get a good look at the trunk, all you needed to do was- AGH!" Dante reached for his neck, as he felt something had been injected and quickly taken away.

He turned to see that the Huntress was walking away, with a vial that had a red substance inside. "I've got the sample."

"HEY! Where's she goin'-" He stopped as one of the soldiers aimed his rifle at him.

The other turned to the two l'Cie. "All of you, up! You're being moved." He saw that Sazh had not moved and aimed his gun at him. "I said move!"

Sazh smirked to himself before glancing at him. "Get him."

From his afro, the baby chick flew at a fast speed and hit the soldier in the head. It felt like a hard rock had been thrown at him.

The other soldier looked to see what had happened, but this proved fatal. With lightning speed, Dante yanked the soldier's arm over his shoulder, and snapped it. This caused the soldier to scream in pain, and drop his gun.

Sazh then tackled the other soldier into him, and slammed them both into the wall, knocking them out.

The Vespid Soldier began to fly towards them with malintent. Noticing this, Vanille quickly grabbed the gun on the floor and began firing at the insectoid, screaming as she did so. When the monster fell to the ground, she sighed to herself, and smiled at both men.

"Remind me to never piss you off," said Sazh.

"Though next time, I recommend firing with your eyes open," critiqued Dante.

"Alright, let's split," urged Sazh, and turned to the girl. "Not _run_. There's a difference." He then turned to Dante. "Take us to our weapons."

Dante nodded, and ordered them to follow him. The trio sprinted down the corridor, until Dante stopped infront of a door. He pressed a button, and the door opened. Inside, Sazh's Vega 42s and Vanille's Binding Rod could be seen. In the far back were Dante's guns and sword, as well as Lucifer, and two other objects. The man extended his hand. and the three Devil Arms turned into balls of light, and went inside of him. Rebellion flew into its master's hand and he sheathed it on his back. He then reached for Coyote-A, and sheathed it in his coat, before finally grabbing his handguns.

"Ebony... Ivory... Did you two miss Daddy?"

"How many weapons you got?" asked the afro man.

"Enough to fill a closet."

The three exited the room continued into a hallway of flan monsters. Dante and Sazh eradicated them with their handguns and made it to a door. Just then, another alarm went off.

**"CODE PURPLE! I REPEAT: CODE PURPLE! SECURITY BREACH! UNKNOWN SOLDIER GOING BERSERK IN AREA-K! ALL UNITS ON ALERT! REPEAT! CODE PURPLE!"**

"Man. The kid must be doin' some serious damage," muttered Dante.

"Do you think Fang's with them?" asked Vanille.

"Probably. Maybe Lightning and the others are there too," suggested Sazh. "C'mon, guys. Let's go get rescued."

"No!" blurted Vanille. "Fang's always been there for me. But for once in my life, I'm the one who's gonna save her!"

Dante gave a short laugh. "Now you're talkin'! Taking the spotlight is what I'm all about! C'mon then. It's showtime."

-Crew Corridors-

Hope had fired a Poisonga, to finish off a weak Vespid Soldier, when the alarms went off.

**"CODE PURPLE! I REPEAT: CODE PURPLE! SECURITY BREACH! UNKNOWN SOLDIER GOING BERSERK IN AREA-K! ALL UNITS ON ALERT! REPEAT! CODE PURPLE!"**

"Red, green, purple. Why don't they just recite all the colors of the rainbow. The hell do they mean, anyway?" asked Nero.

"It's just PSICOM's way of telling us that we're scarin' them shitless," answered Fang.

"Well, that's good news," said Snow.

Suddenly, gunshots were heard from below.

"What was that? Who are they fighting?" asked Hope.

Fang thought to herself before speaking. "Could it be Vanille?"

"Maybe. But then again, it could also be Vergil, or this berserk soldier," answered Light.

"No," countered Nero. "I can feel Yamato's presence. He's still far ahead. But knowing Dante, he probably didn't want to sit still. So it's most likely that they got out."

"Well c'mon, then!" urged Snow. "We've gotta find them before... Whoa."

The room they had entered had a huge white cylindrical machine in the center. It looked like an engine.

"If we wanted to, we could cause some serious damage here," observed Hope.

"But that's not why we're here, remember?" reminded Fang.

A squad of Infiltrators, Raiders, and Huntresses met them and fired at them. The group casted Protect on each other to deflect the bullets.

Nero, Light, Snow, and Fang charged at them.

Nero Streaked two of them, and then did a High Roller on a Raider. He then jumped into the air, and did a Splitter to finish them off.

Lightning rolled under a Raider's baton, and Blitzed a trio of soldiers, before shooting her gunblade at a Huntress.

Snow slugged a soldier, and took his gun away, and fired at nearby Vespid Soldiers.

Fang used her Bladed Lance to sweep two soldiers off their feet, while Hope finished them off with Thundara.

Lightning pointed to her right. "There, where that green hallway is. We move there!" The group followed her down the path.

-Palamecia Bridge-

The sound of the alarms going off was not loud enough for Jihl to hear one of the monitors. "Colonel! We've lost the intruders!"

Jihl's eyes widened as she took off her glasses. "Then... That means we're in Code Yellow... Or is it Blue?" she asked herself. She didn't think that there would be this many intruders attacking at the same time. Then a thought came to her. "If it's Code Orange... Then that would mean-" She then activated her earpiece. "Gaylor! What's going on? Why haven't your men captured the intruders yet?"

_"What's the matter?"_ asked Gaylor's voice. _"Is the situation not in your control anymore?"_

"Shut up, or-"

_"Or what? You're going to fire me? You think your rank allows you the authority?"_

"In case you haven't noticed, we lost their trace. You're monitoring the entire ship, so look for them!"

_"Calm down... I've found them... GODDAMNIT!"_

"What," asked a startled Nabaat.

_"They... They're in the the engine room!"_

Hearing this, Jihl broke her glasses, and threw them down onto the ground. "Then tell our men down there to MAKE IT RAIN!" she ordered, before severing the link.

Primarch Dysley sat calmly, not showing any emotion towards the events. "Desperate times demand flexibility... As of now, we are in Code White..."

-Primary Engine Room-

The trio had barely entered the room, when the huge glowing sphere above them had begun to deactivate.

**"Bridge to engine room. We're losing thrust! Engine room, do you copy? What is the status of the main reactor? "**

Sazh looked up. "They've shut down the power? The hell's goin' on?"

"Who knows? Who cares? Let's go!" said Dante as he dashed forward.

The group made it to a steel door, but found that it was locked. Sazh banged his hand on the door a few times. "Damnit! They locked us out!" Suddenly, whizzing and snarls were heard. They turned around to see Vespid Soldiers and Thermadons were marching up on them. "Great. This is just great. They've got us cornered!"

"Not for long, Sazhy," interjected Dante. Both l'Cie turned to the man who's arms, legs, back and face were covered with green light. His arms and legs were covered with gauntlets and grieves that had a pinkish light and had an organic look. On his back was some sort of wings that had an evil laughing face on it. His mouth was protected with the same metal. This was the Devil Arm known as Gilgamesh.

With lightning speed, Dante sent a torrent of punches to the door, finishing it off with a solid kick at its center. The door instantly flew open into the other room. Dante urged the other two to follow.

-Starboard Weather Deck-

The path that the l'Cie had taken led outside. Hope then noticed the environment around them. "The wind, it's dying down."

"Yeah, you're right," agreed Lightning. "That can only mean we're decelerating."

"I thought they wanted to get to Eden. What are they planning?" asked Hope.

"Hey. Maybe it can be, I dunno, good luck?" suggested Snow. At that moment, hatches opened, and Vespid Soldiers flew out of them.

"More like bad luck," countered Fang.

Nero then began firing Charged Shots at the Vespids. "Hey, bad luck's better than no luck."

The l'Cie joined him and fired spells at the creatures before they could reach them. When they were done, the heroes continued along the deck. Many soldiers tried to intercept them, but Nero swatted them away with his Bringer. When they got farther in, they had to walk along the guns of the ship to avoid detection.

They were running along the deck, when suddenly, a Kalavinka Striker screeched at them, and flew to intercept their path.

"So Pretty Boy," Fang called, "how's this supposed to make us lucky?"

Nero unsheathed Red Queen and Exceeded it. "'Cause once we take care of this pidgeon, we're that much closer to Vanille, Sazh, and the Boss."

She smirk, as she and the others got into a fighting stance. "Hmph. Fair enough!"

However, they did not need to fight. Suddenly, a huge sound of grating metal was heard. The next instant, a huge wall of metal was blown straight at the Striker, where it collided with the avian beast. This caused it to fly off.

The l'Cie stood there in surprise, still processing what had just occurred. When they did, they turned to their left, to see two figures coming out of the smoke. A man with an afro, and a girl with pigtails. The girl was coughing, as she emerged from the smoke.

Fang's eyes widened with realization and joy. "Vanille!" she called to her friend.

Vanille heard her name called and looked forward. Her eyes widened with joy as she saw her native friend. "Fang!"

She ran towards the woman, and stopped right before her, hesitating a bit.

"There you are," muttered Snow.

Sazh waved at the group. "Hey, guys! You missed us?"

"Not you, the monster!" he interjected.

The group looked up to see that the Striker had returned to for revenge. Right before it could make contact, however, a red blur flew out of the smoke, and landed a hard punch at the creatures gut. His gauntlets were then charging, as fire came from the side jets, and sent the Striker flying away, never to be heard from again.

The main landed gracefully, as his gauntlets and grieves disappeared in a green light. He then turned to the l'Cie. "And that, my friends, is how you make a grand entrance!"

The group remained silent, save for Sazh, who was chuckling, Vanille, who was clapping her hands, and the chocobo chick, who was chirping.

Snow and Sazh were then shoved to the side, as Nero made it to the front of the group, his face of utter shock. "BOSS!"

Dante looked at him and smirked. "Hey! If it isn't the kid! Been lookin' everywhere for ya!"

Nero examined the man up and down. He even felt the man's face. "Hey, hey, don't touch my face!"

"I'm not dreaming this... You're really here," he said in relief.

"Well of course, kid! I mean, do you know anyone else as sick, smokin', stylish, or as handsome as me?" he asked.

He kept his gaze longer, before letting out a short laugh. Dante only grinned.

Suddenly, Dante felt himself being lifted up into the air, and was then slammed onto the floor by Nero's Devil Bringer.

"WHERE THE HELL HAVE YOU BEEN?" blurted out Nero, his mask of relief instantly transformed into anger. "Two weeks. TWO FUCKIN' WEEKS! That's how long I've been waiting for your dumb ass to get me!"

Dante groaned as he got up. "Hello to you too, punk. Kid's these days. Never showing any appreciation for their elders."

"Shut up! What were you doing while I was here, huh? Sitting on your lazy ass eating pizza and strawberry sundaes? That's pretty much all you're good for!"

"Okay, kid. You can try to make fun of me, and fail. But I draw the line when you insult the goodness that is pizza and strawberry sundaes. You just don't go there."

Nero got into the man's face. "Tell me, what was it that got you off of your ass? Patty's screaming, or finally realizing that you had to work again? Maybe a bit of both?"

"Work? Why, kid, you sound like if I make you do all the work!"

"BECAUSE YOU DO MAKE ME DO ALL THE WORK!"

"BULLSHIT! I'VE BEEN PULLING MY ASS OFF IN THIS BUSINESS, LONG BEFORE YOU COULD EVEN SPELL YOU OWN NAME!"

"YOU WANNA FIGHT?"

"KID, I'LL KICK YOUR ASS ALL THE WAY BACK TO EARTH!"

"HEEEY!" screamed Lightning.

Both men froze. The slowly turned to look at the group, who stared at them incredulously.

"What the hell are you two doing?" shouted Lightning.

Nero and Dante both tried to say something, but could not find the right words.

Nero chuckled as he scratch his head. "Heheh... Don't freak out guys. We do this all the time."

"Pretty good stress relievers, I must say," added Dante.

Nero then realized the obvious. "Oh yeah! I haven't properly introduced you guys." He gestured at the man. "Guys, this is my boss, Dante." Said man did a bow. "Boss. These guys are my friends."

"Girl with pink hair's name is Lightning Farron. Don't ask why she has pink hair, I don't know." Lightning nodded at him.

"Dude with the trench coat's name is Snow Villiers. He's doing this to save his fiancée." The man waved at him.

"This woman's Fang. She has a longer name, but I still don't know how to pronounce it."

"It's Oerba Yun Fang, Pretty Boy!" reminded Fang.

"And you already-"

"Don't worry, kid. I got them. The girl's Vanille, and the afro head is Sash."

Sazh's eyes widened in anger. "IT'S SAZH, YOU IDIOT! S-A-Z-H! SAZH!"

Dante was smiling. "Calm down, Sazhy. I'm just pulling your leg."

"And finally, the little kid here is Hope Estheim." Hope bowed in respect.

"Huh," muttered Dante, as he examined Hope. "The little runt kinda looks like you, kid."

Nero then examined Hope as well. "Nah. It's just the hairstyle."

Vanille tugged on Fang's Sari. "Fang... I-"

Fang then hugged Vanille, who returned the hug as well. "I'm glad your safe..."

"Aww," said Snow, as the rest of the gang looked at the happy sight.

Fang then knelt down, and lifted Vanille's skirt, examining her brand. Lightning didn't turn away, for she was a female. Sazh, Hope, and Snow turned the other away, not trying to look bad. Nero was about to do the same, but noticed Dante was trying to peer over Fang. Nero then slapped Dante in the back of his head.

"The hell are you doing? This just like you, y'know that?"

The l'Cie ignored them as they continued to argue with each other.

"You've still got time," said Fang in relief.

"Fang... I- There's something I need to tell, you-"

Fang quickly hugged her friend. "Look at you, makin' me worry like that... Don't worry. You and me will talk later, Missy."

Sazh raised his hand. "So uh, what's up guys? What's on the agenda today?"

Snow smirked as he pounded his fists together. "Today? Well today, we're toppling the Sanctum government."

Sazh's smile was replaced with a nervous chuckle. "Heheh... No. I mean, seriously. What are we doin'?"

Nero, who had finished his argument with Dante, spoke up. "We're serious Sazh."

Lightning crossed her arms, and walked forward. "He's right. We're gonna take down the Sanctum, and give power back to the people of Cocoon. The fal'Cie have called the shots for long enough."

Dante chuckled. "That's cool. Never been in a revolution before."

"It'll be a miracle if we pull it off," stated Hope.

Suddenly, a flock of Garuda Interceptors flew over them.

Snow growled to himself. "This process is starting to get real old."

Fang, however, only smirked. "You guy's wanted a miracle? Well here's one, Gran Pulse style!"

Both Fang, and Vanille moved forward. "Vanille, go fish!" The girl nodded.

The Intercept fired it's flaming breath as it flew overhead. As it flew away, Vanille, launched her hooks at the beast, and surprisingly, they were flying close to the creature. Fang then dashed forward, and jumped high into the sky.

Vanille waited for the right moment, and pulled her Rod backwards. "Fang, now!"

The hooks were pulled backwards, and latched onto the Garuda Interceptor. The force the hooks pulled it backwards. At that same instant, Fang fell from the sky, and impaled her Bladed Lance into the creatures back, making it fall on its stomach. The Interceptor tried to get up, but the pain of the impact caused it to give up.

"That's right. Don't resist... There's a good girl." She then called to the others. "Alright, we're good!"

Vanille called to the group, "C'mon, let's get on."

The group followed the girl, unaware of the white owl watching them.

As the group got on, Dante did one of the things he did best. Talk. "Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to Air Dante. Please remain seated at all times during our flight. Exits are to your left, right, front, back, and pretty much everywhere. Thank you, and we hope you'll fly with us again."

Hope and Vanille giggled to themselves at his antics, while Nero shook his head.

The Interceptor began to flap its wings, and hovered over the edge. It then flew outward, to the side of the Palamecia.

The group, had trouble hanging onto the beast. Their destination could be seen up ahead.

"That sphere! That's were Dysley's hiding!" called Lightning.

"Alright then. I'll steer this thing clos-"

Suddenly, the Interceptor was forced to the side by an explosion. The heroes looked to their left, and saw a black jet flying towards them. Its cockpit was shaped like Serah's tear. It had two machine gun cannons on the side that served as arms. It had four wings that were in an shape of an X. The back had missile launchers. Underneath the cockpit, was a laser.

**"You're not getting away that easily, l'Cie!"**

Nero growled. "Greeeaaat. It's this asshole."

"Who?" asked Dante.

"Some guy who doesn't stop annoying us. Hey. Can you believe this guy's name's Gaylord?"

Dante snickered. "Wait what?" He then called to the ship. "Hey! Is your name really Gaylord?"

**"IT"S GAYLOR! G-A-Y-L-O-R! GAYLOR!" **he shouted.

Dante was laughing out loud. "No way! No freakin' way! Dude, how do you sleep at night? Hahaha!"

Growling, Gaylor slammed his ship with the Interceptor. The group barely maintained their balance, but Sazh was sent flying backwards. He barely managed to grab the beast's fin before falling off. He hung on for dear life, screaming as he did so.

Nero, Light, and Dante began firing their guns at the ship, while Snow, Hope, and Vanille blasted spell at its shell.

**"Hahaha! Your feeble magic and weaponry is useless, against the might of Aerial Unit: OMEGA! Give up!"**

"Damn!" growled Nero.

"Fang!" called Lightning. "Can't you tell this thing to fire at him?"

"Way ahead of ya!" Fang pushed her lance deeper into the avian, and it growled in pain. She maneuvered it under the ship, and ordered the Garuda to fire at the bottom.

Gaylor cursed to himself, and he turned his ship upside down to make the l'Cie above him. He then pressed a few buttons. The missile launchers then aimed for the Garuda.

"Fang! If you want fly off, now would be the time!" called Snow.

"No!" blurted Dante. "Descend downwards, but not too far! I've got an idea!"

"If we stay close, those missiles will hit us head on!" shouted Lightning.

Dante smirked as he pulled out a grey briefcase from his coat. It had many square patterns on it, and had a skull in the center.

"Girly. The answers to your troubles are all in this briefcase."

Nero glanced at it, and instantly recognized the Devil Arm, Pandora. "Wait... You're using That?"

"Yep. That," answered Dante.

Dante then input the code PF013. The briefcase then flashed in a white light and transformed into the bow, Epidemic. Dante aimed at the bowgun at the OMEGA, and fired two miniature rockets at the fighter. They made contact, and pushed it backwards.

Leunam's eye widened with surprise. **"What the- What kind of weapon was that?"**

Dante then inputted the code PF124, and Epidemic transformed into the bazooka, Hatred. He lifted it over his shoulder, and aimed it carefully at the OMEGA, which was firing at the Interceptor. The l'Cie managed to deflect them with Protect.

"You guys might wanna hang on reeeaaal tight," warned Dante. Dante fired his bazooka, and three mini rockets were fired at OMEGA. The ship did a barrel roll to dodge the rockets, but the rockets locked onto heat and made contact as well.

The recoil of the blast pushed the Interceptor downwards. Fang pushed her lance downwards to hang on. "Hey, Crazy Man! Watch where you're firing that thing!"

"Lady, I don't tell you how to fly, so don't tell me how to do my job!" replied Dante. Dante then put in the code PF262 the bazooka then transformed into the gatling gun, Jealousy. He then fired at Leunam's ship.

Sazh, who was still hanging onto the fin of the Garuda, called to the son of Sparda. "How many weapons does that thing have?"

"Six-hundred and sixty-six!" he called as he fired at Leunam.

"Guys! We're getting close to the circular thingy!" called Vanille. As she said, they flying closer to the bridge. Cannons and turrets from the flagship now aimed their barrels at the l'Cie and Leunam. Both the beast and the fighter evaded the the oncoming blasts and bullets.

Leunam noticed that the l'Cie were getting closer to the bridge, and he finally realized what they planned to do.

**"NO! I will not allow you to go any further!"** he shouted. He then pulled a lever, thus activating the launch sequence for the missiles. The jets on the back of the missiles were ignited, and pushed the missiles forward. Their infrared sensors locked onto the Interceptor's heat signature instantly, and headed straight for it.

Dante quickly spotted them, and aimed Jealousy at the lead missile. The barrage of bullets pierced the metal armor, and made contact with the explosive mechanism, blowing up the missile.

Dante then aimed for the other missile, but before he could fire, the missile exploded by itself. Out of the smoke, came multiple mini rockets heading straight for them.

"Shit! I can't take 'em all out!" cried Dante. He pulled out his guns, but Nero stopped him.

"I got them!" Nero then transformed into his Level One Devil Trigger form, and swung his Bringer. The samurai avatar followed his movements, and swung its arm as well. Its reach was just enough for him to swat away all of the missiles.

However as the smoke cleared, the OMEGA was flying straight towards them. Underneath its cockpit, a bluish-green light was charging up. **"This is the end of the line for you, l'Cie! YOU'RE FINISHED!"**

The beam fired directly at the Interceptor. Everyone braced for the worst as it came towards them. However, at the last few seconds, Nero jumped off of the beast, and let out a yell as he was surrounded by a circular sphere of energy. The sphere was able to stop the laser from killing the avian.

After the laser finished firing, Gaylor examined the monitor to see the results. Imagine the surprise he had when he saw Nero, in his True Devil Trigger form, with his coat acting as wings, flying straight for the OMEGA.

"Well whaddya know? The kid got a new Devil Trigger," observed Dante.

Nero spread his arms open, and caught the OMEGA as it flew right at him. It began pushing him backwards with the force of its speed, but Nero's strength managed to stop its movement. Leunam growled as he tried to input commands for the ship to move faster. His monitors showed that the speed was being increased, but Nero still did not budge.

Nero then began swinging the ship in circles, yelling as he did so. Gaylor held onto the sides of the cockpit as his ship was being swung. After a minute, Nero cried out as he threw the OMEGA onto the Palamecia's Starboard Deck.

Gaylor screamed and grunted in pain as his ship crashed into the side of the flagship. He lost consciousness as the ship slid to a stop.

Nero paid no heed to Leunam anymore, and flew back towards the Interceptor. Nero was on top of the thing, when he reverted back to his human form, and landed in between Light and Fang.

"Hey, guys! Miss me?" he asked.

"Dude! That was totally badass!" praised Hope.

"When'd you get that power?" asked Vanille in equal excitement.

"Not bad, kid. Could've been more stylish, but due to the situation, you did what was needed," critiqued the son of Sparda.

Sazh was screaming at the back, as he still held onto to the Garuda's fin. Fang glanced back at him, and smirked. "So, Sazh. Believe in Lady Luck now?" she called.

"Yeah! LADY BAD LUCK!" he called back.

Lightning looked forward, as the Palamecia's bridge came into view. "We're here!"

"And this is where I take back the spotlight!" announced Dante. Dante took out Pandora again and input the code PF398. The briefcase turned into the bowgun, then the bazooka, and finally into a round laser cannon, the Revenge, and began charging it. "Keep this bird steady, Fang! And get me in closer!"

"You got it! Hell, I'll even give you a good shot!"

Fang then pulled her lance backward, making the Interceptor do a U-Loop. The group held on for dear life, especially Sazh, who was screaming in fear. At the top of the loop, Dante pointed the Revenge at the Palamecia, and pulled the trigger. The blast created a large hole in the hull.

"Time to Purge a Primarch!" cried Snow.

"Couldn't have said it better myself!" agreed Nero.

The Garuda flew towards the hole, and at the right moment, Lightning gave the signal. "JUMP, NOW!"

At the exact same time, everyone jumped off of the beast, screaming in excitement or fear as they fell inside.

-Bridge Access-

Nero grabbed his buttocks as he got up from the ground. "Everyone alright?"

"Man! Haven't soared through the sky, since Fortuna! We've got to do this again sometime!" said Dante.

"I think I'll stick to letting ships soar through the sky," replied Sazh.

Fang helped Vanille up. "You alright?" She nodded at her. "That's good. Can't have our talk of you end up dying, right?"

Lightning instantly began walking forward. "Alright. Dysley's down this corridor. Let's hurry up so we can finish... Oh my God."

Hope looked at the soldier, and saw a face of recognition. He looked forward, and instantly took a step back in fear. The rest of the group walked forward, and gasped at the sight.

On the following corridors, bodies were strewn about. Many of them were either decapitated, or had severed limbs. Almost the entire floor was covered with blood.

Vanille instantly covered her mouth, and began to cry tears of shock. Fang hugged her, and pulled her away from the sight. She too had a face of fear. Sazh took a step back, taking the sight in.

Snow hesitated, but finally found the courage to speak. "What... the hell happened here?"

Suddenly, gunshots were heard at the bottom levels. Each individual looked downwards to see what was happening.

A lone PSICOM Infiltrator was firing at a blue coated individual, who was twirling an O-Katana. The soldier's gun clicked, indicating that there was no ammo. The soldier reached for his extra clip, but instantly felt a pain in his neck. He instantly dropped his gun, and reached for his slit throat. He then fell on his knees, and then face flat on the floor.

The man swiped his sword in the air, getting rid of any blood from on the blade. He twirled his sword, and then silently sheathed it, before finally making his way into the bridge.

Nero's eyes widened, and then growled. "It's- It's him!"

Dante stared at the door to the bridge, and chuckled to himself. "You gotta love family reunions."

-Palamecia Bridge-

Jihl was pacing back in forth to herself, when gunfire was heard. She turned to the entrance of the bridge, to see each of her guards, sliced by some invisible force. After a few seconds, a lone man emerged from the corridor, and walked into the center of the room casually. She glared daggers at the man. "Y- You!"

Vergil barely regarded Jihl Nabaat, but kept his eyes on Primarch Galenth Dysley. "I believe we have some unfinished business to attend to, "Your Eminence,"" he said.

As he walked forward, Jihl jumped over the edge of the throne, and landed right before Vergil. She took out her baton, and got into her fighting stance.

The Dark Slayer glared at the official. "So you wish to stand in my way... I warned you what would happen if you got in my way."

Vergil then reached for the hilt of Yamato, but stopped when a voice called out from the entrance.

"BEEN LOOKIN' FOR YOU, NABAAT!"

Vergil looked over his shoulder to see a group of individuals running towards the center. It may as well have been a circus of clowns, for among them was his foolish brother, and the annoying boy.

Nero stopped running, and instantly glared at his adversary. "VERGIL!"

The entire group got their weapons out, as Vergil released the hilt of Yamato, and turned to them.

"Dante," he called.

The younger brother waved at him. "Heya, bro! I see you've met Jill, here. Hey babe! Missed me?"

"I have no idea who you are," she responded.

Dante gave a feigned look of hurt. "Why, Jill! How can you have forgotten our make-out session so easily? C'mon. No one can forget a night with yours truly."

Dante then looked around the room. "Unless of course you don't wanna look bad in front of your co-workers. I wouldn't worry about them. I mean, that guy over there in the corner is playin' Pong! He thinks no one can see him, but I totally can."

"SILENCE!" shouted Vergil. "You are making a complete fool of yourself, Dante. So do not speak at all!"

"What the hell are you doing here, Vergil?" asked Nero with fury.

"I am here on a personal business matter, that does not involve you. If you are here to challenge me, then do so at another time. Just looking at the way you are currently acting tells me that you still do not possess the necessary power to defeat me."

Nero growled. "YOU BAAASTARD!"

Nero dashed for Vergil, despite the other l'Cie calling out for him. Nero swung with his Bringer, but Vergil ducked under it. He then struck Nero's face with the bottom of Yamato's hilt, and swatted him away with the scabbard. Nero fell backwards onto the ground, where the other l'Cie and Dante met with him.

"That was reckless! What were you thinking?" scolded Lightning.

"You should keep your puppy on a leash, Dante," called the Sanctum l'Cie. "Lest he wishes to die an early death." Vergil then turned back to Jihl. "Now, where were we?"

Jihl got into a fighting stance. "Your Eminence! Please escape now! I will cover your retreat!"

She waited for a response, but heard nothing. Then Dysley looked at the scene, with an amused expression, before speaking. "Why don't you leave instead, Jihl... Or rather, take your leave. Humans have no business here."

Jihl was taken aback by the statement, and turned to him. "Your Eminence? What- AAAGH!"

Dysley fired Ruinga at her back, disabling her body's functions. Jihl Nabaat fell to the ground, dead.

"NOOO!" shouted Dante. "Damn! And I was about to get her number, too!"

The Pulce l'Cie stared at the Primarch in shock. "Wait, he can use magic?" asked Hope, but sounded as if he was stating it.

Dysley then floated up into the air, laughing as he did so. He lifted his staff upwards, and it was surrounded by six Ruinga spells. He twirled his staff around, and fired at the surrounding officials.

"DYSLEEEY!" cried Snow.

Felix was about to get the high score on Pong, when he saw a bright ball in his monitor. He turned around, and ducked out of the spells way. On the other side of the room, Adam did the same.

The Primarch then fired the remaining spells at the circular dome on the roof. The spells destroyed the sphere, and fresh air could be felt.

"YOU MONSTER!" shouted Snow. "PEOPLE ARE NOT YOURS TO USE!"

Dysley had a smug look on his face as he descended. "What else does one do with tools?"

This statement set Snow off. In blind rage, he rushed for the Primarch with a cry of rage. He tried to punch the man, but was blown away by a shield. Snow flew backwards to the group, who rushed to him.

Nero glared at the old man. "You son of a bitch!"

Dysley did not regard the boy. "Cocoon is a factory, created by the fal'Cie. A factory created for the purpose of the mass production of human thralls."

Snow growled at the Primarch as he got up. "Not anymore, it's not!"

The white owl flew from its perch, and circled the group. "What can mere mortal men do? Without the aid of the fal'Cie, death is the only thing you are capable of achieving."

"That's a lie!" countered Nero. "I come from a world where man can create things on his own. Your "vision" of humanity is bullshit!"

"Is that so? Then tell me, do the people of your world not worship imaginary gods?" he asked. "Those people thank them for their fortune. Did you ever ponder that those gods existed?" Nero only responded with a grunt, realizing that he lost the argument. "You saw the fools of this world. A mindless mob drunk on the fear of a few l'Cie."

Lightning took out a her Blazefire Saber. "If they only knew... That a l'Cie was the one filling their glasses!"

Suddenly, Vergil began laughing to himself, gaining everyone's attention. "Heheh. Is that what you think? You believe that this fool is a l'Cie? You are all nothing but fools."

"What are you talking about?" asked Fang furiously.

"How do you think I became a l'Cie?" asked Vergil. "I was branded. By _him_."

The l'Cie and Dante looked back at the man, who was only laughing. "That is correct. Me? A l'Cie? Perish the thoughts, child. I am MORE THAN THAT!"

He ascended into the air, and raised his staff, where six spheres of purple light surrounded it. The white owl flew towards the staff, and then a light illuminated the entire room.

Everyone covered their eyes from the flash, and waited for the light to subside. When they opened them, Galenth Dysley was gone. In his place stood a towering, burlesque, bronze, god-like creature. It had gold lining, alien markings on its skin, and had four face-masks grafted on the sides of its head as adornments. It had a snake-like throat with gills at the end. Its face had white pupiless eyes and a very disturbing grin with sharp teeth.

Nero eyes widened at the sight, and quickly had an angry glare in them. "YOU! YOU'RE THE BASTARD DEMON, THAT SENT ME HERE IN THE FIRST PLACE!"

The creature laughed at him. **"That is correct. But I am not a demon, nor a l'Cie. I am fal'Cie. I am known as Barthandelus, Voice of the Sanctum, and Lord Sovereign of the Cocoon fal'Cie."**

Vergil only smirked to himself. "So you reveal yourself at last, Barthandelus." With quick speed, he unsheathed Yamato. "You know why I am here. You branded me a l'Cie, and doomed me to two terrible fates, neither one of them in my best interest." He pointed the katana at the beast. "You marked me, so you must know how to get rid of the mark. So now, I demand that you remove the brand, as well as grant me the ability to use magic freely as well!"

Barthandelus only laughed at him. **"Foolish mortal. You are in no position to change what has already been done. Once the contract of the l'Cie has been placed, it cannot be undone."**

"Oh, I'm sure you're more than capable of removing it."

**"Why would you want to leave? Everything is as I had intended it. Especially the reunion of the Sparda family. The only unforeseen factor was the arrival of Dante."**

"Hey, what can I say? I'm a party crasher," shrugged Dante.

**"The three members of the Sparda bloodline are here." **He indicated Dante and Vergil.** "The Sons of Sparda." **And then pointed to Nero.** "And Sparda's Grandson."**

Both Sons of Sparda, were confused at the statement but then turned to Nero, who was equally confused.

"G- Grandson... Wh- What are you talkin' about, you old coot?" asked Nero.

The fal'Cie's grin widened. **"I see. How cruel it is that one must go through life without knowing their origins,"** it muttered. **"Very well, Nero. I will tell you the truth. Twenty-two solar cycles ago, a mortal with the blood of Sparda came to Cocoon, seeking to follow in the footsteps of his father. In the time of his stay on this planet, he conceived offspring with a mortal woman. You, the Grandson of Sparda, hail from this world."**

The group of l'Cie glanced at their comrade, and saw a face of surprise, and shock.

"Wh- What?... I'm... From Cocoon?" he asked himself. Then he realized something that Barthandelus had said. His father was a son of Sparda.

Nero glanced at Dante, and the man instantly knew what he was going to ask. "Don't look at me, kid. I've never been here before."

This instantly blanched Nero's face. Both men turned to the Dark Slayer. His calm and cool expression had been wiped off. His face was pale, and gave of the fact that he had been revealed something that he thought would never come back to haunt him.

Nero didn't realize it, but he was breathing rapidly, feeling anxiety overtake him. "Wh- Wh- What's he saying?" he asked Vergil. The man remained silent. "What- What's he saying?" Again silence. "WHAT THE FUCK IS THIS FREAK TRYING TO SAY?" he roared.

Vergil finally spoke up, but the words struck Nero like a bomb.

"It means... That you... Are my son."

Ch. 22: Rage Awakened

Nero and the l'Cie fight against their true enemy. The Lord Sovereign of the Cocoon fal'Cie, Barthandelus. Meanwhile, Dante and Vergil's duel to the death begins. Who will be victorious in this sibling rivalry of epic proportions? The answer is uncertain, even to the fal'Cie masters of Cocoon.

**AN: DUN, DUN, DUN! Twist, right? Sorry that the chapter was all over the place, but that was intentional. Again, newest longest chapter I've done.**

**So this whole image thing is new to me, but my offer still stands. Anyone who would like to make the cover for this story, PM me if you're interested.**

**FUN FACT: Did you know that in FFXIII, Anima wasn't that huge being that branded the group, but the god Hallowed Pulse? I did not know that.**

**Thank you. AND READ AND REVIEW!**


	23. Rage Awakened

**Capcom and Square-Enix own DMC and FFXIII respectively. AN: Sorry for the delay. Parents and somewhat writers block. Let's face it. The Barthandelus fight is not what you were looking forward to. I also went back and updated Lightning, Hope, Fang, Sazh, and Vanille's "Chosen" aliases. I was not satisfied with their naming. I did a little searching here and there, and I think you'll agree that the new names are better.**

The Palamecia– Rage Awakened

-Director's Office-

Somar Leunam continued to fill out the paperwork on his desk. All around him, the alarms were going off with warnings of l'Cie and system malfunctions. Strangely, the man went on with his normal routine, as if nothing had happened.

The door then slid open. The old man looked up, to see a soldier in black armor standing before. His expression could not be discerned due to the soldiers back helmet.

The man only gave a wicked smile. "About time you came."

-Palamecia Bridge-

Nero took a step backwards, eyes wide with shock. He was hyperventilating, quickly shaking his head.

"No... No... No, no... Y- You're... You're lying... You're lying! TELL ME YOU'RE LYING!" he pleaded.

The Dark Slayer, Vergil, continued to keep his gaze at the boy, before looking away and closing his eyes.

Nero's eyes widened with shock, and suddenly felt numb. He didn't even realize that he fell on his knees. He clenched his head, cony=tinuing to shake his head rapidly.

"No. No, no, no, no, NOOO! You can't be my father! You're... YOU'RE THE ONE I'M SUPPOSED TO KILL! You... You..."

Nero didn't know that Vanille and Hope were crouyching next to him, trying to give him comfort, while the others were close to him.

Dante was thinking to himself, before finally speaking up. "So wait a minute... If Vergil's a dad... And the kid's his son..." His head shot up and glanced at the boy. "Holy crap, kid! That means I'm your uncle!"

Hearing this, Nero's head shot up, and glanced at the man. "Okay... I think I'm gonna throw up."

Vergil stood there, eyes furrowed in thought. In his mind played memories of the past the days of his loved one. Everything about her played in his mind. Her hair. Her face. Her eyes. Her smile...

He shook his head, putting those memories aside for the moment. He then glared back at the fal'Cie.

"Enough of this!" He then pointed Yamato at the creature. "I have already made my demand! I won't repeat myself again. Remove the l'Cie brand, or else."

**"Or else what?"** asked the fal'Cie, Barthandelus. **"Though with the powers of a l'Cie, you have no powers that can threaten me."**

"In that case, I will destroy you. Maybe my mark will disappear with your destruction!"

The fal'Cie only laughed at him.** "That attempt will only prove to be futile. Ask the Pulse l'Cie. They defeated their fal'Cie before they were marked, and it did nothing for them. It will be the same for you."**

This caused the man to glare at the group, who glared back at him. Scowling to himself, he then walked forward. "Whether you do it or not is of no concern to me. You will tell me how to be rid of this mark; even if I have to make you!"

He then rushed forward, with katana in hand, and began swiping at the beast. However, as strong as Yamato was, the blade could not penetrate the barrier.

Suddenly the fal'Cie lifted both hands. In the palms were two spheres. It then launched one at the attacking Vergil. The spell surrounded him in a blue light, surprising the entire group. Seeing this, Vergil began swiping at the barrier, even going as far as to punch it.

The next sphere was launched at Dante, who was just standing there. The act took him by surprise, and he began firing at the sphere with his handguns.

The group instantly steadied themselves with the act. "What do you think you're doing with them?" called Snow.

**"Only one of these two has a role to play. But at this moment, I wish to address only you six. These two are not to get involved."**

Barthandelus pushed his arms forward, and then sent both Sons of Sparda flying outside. Both men flew out of the circular roof at high speeds. Barthandelus opened his hand again, and the roof was surrounded with symbols of the Cocoon l'Cie mark.

"Hey, what's the big idea, trappin' us in here, huh?" asked Sazh.

**"As I said before, I wanted to speak with all of you-"**

In an instant, Nero jumped from his crouched position, and jumped towards the being. His Bringer was cocked backwards, and then lunged it forward to punch it with the Spectral Bringer. He cried out a battle cry as he did so.

The force of the barrier pushed him backwards onto his feet. "You... How DARE you! You wish to talk to us, after everything you've done! The Purge, capturing our friends, Serah... HOW DARE YOU!"

Hearing her sister's name, Lightning then glared at the fal'Cie. "He- He's right. Because of you, many people died at the Purge! It's your fault! You're the one behind everything!"

Barthandelus only scoffed at her.** "You dare address me in that tone? Your kind feared the darkness, so we, the fal'Cie, gave you light! You begged us for the Purge. And did it not come to pass, as you wished? Now, you inferior beings spurn our counsel? You must learn your place, and remember who rules this world!"**

The fal'Cie roared, at the group, causing them to take out their weapons. Nero exceeded the Red Queen. "Bring it on, you old coot!"

-Outside Palamecia-

Dante dusted himself as he got up, while Vergil readjusted his neckerchief.

"The hell was that about?" asked Dante.

"Did you not pay attention?" asked the older brother. "He wanted to speak with the Pulse l'Cie. And threw us out of the room, to do so."

Dante looked forward, and saw that the roof was covered by a barrier with the same symbol on it. "Well, it seems he really doesn't want us going back in there," he muttered.

Vergil then got lost in his thoughts, and began to think aloud. "So this option failed... That only leaves the other two left... But I'll need both of them to do it..."

"Was that old fart tellin' the truth?" asked Dante, getting his brothers attention. Vergil glared at his brother, who returned it with a serious glare. "Is the kid... Really your kid?"

Vergil remained silent at this. He turned away from Dante and looked out at the sky. "If by "kid," you mean that he is your nephew... Then yes. He is."

Dante only sighed, and let out a small laugh. "Wow... Didn't think you had it in ya..." He was met with no response from his brother. Dante let out another sigh, before asking the important question. "So, if you don't mind me askin'... Who's the mom?"

"NONE of your concern! You do not need to know who she is!" snapped Vergil.

This annoyed Dante slightly. "Actually, yeah! Seeing as how I've just found out that the kid, who has been stayin' with me for the last year, is my nephew, YES, I DO THINK I have the right to know the name of the girl, who went through the reproductive process with you!"

Vergil only scoffed at him. "That doesn't matter! Not anymore..."

This angered Dante even more.

"So she meant nothing to you, is that it? Yeah, you're dad of the year." Vergil looked away from him. "And I don't know if you realized it yet, but your son is the kid who's life you've ruined!"

Vergil glared back at him, anger in his eyes. "Again with this! I told you, as well as that boy, that I am not responsible for the death of that girl!"

"Doesn't matter! You haven't proved it! The kid, myself included, believe that you are responsible for what happened. And seeing as how you left the kid his whole life, I wouldn't be surprised!"

This caused Vergil to get in Dante's face. "You think I wanted to leave him? You think I left him on purpose? To gain power? WRONG! I left because I had no choice! HE WAS IN DANGER!"

It was the devil hunter's turn to step back. Vergil turned away from him.

"It... It almost happened again, brother... Like our mother, they came for us... They were after my family... I was able to defeat a number of them, and protect her, but they made it into the baby's room. The crib was empty. They were after him. They took him and..." Vergil paused, causing Dante to raise an eyebrow. "I chased after them. When I caught up to those curs, they made a portal of demonic energy and went inside. I gave chase. It all happened so fast. When we emerged, I was back in Fortuna. The demon was about to escape, but before he could, I managed to slice that mongrel to pieces. I saved my son... But I still failed."

"I knew the truth. As long as the boy was with me, the demons would return again, and again. My loved one was safe, so all that was left was to ensure the boy's safety. To that end, I left him in an orphanage that was inside the city. I left him there, so that he would be safe. So that I could return for him..."

"But you never did, did you?" interjected Dante.

Vergil's head fell. "That... That was one year... Before our final encounter..."

Dante's eyes then widened with shock, but were quickly replaced by anger. "He- You... You heartless bastard... You fell... You left the human world that day... Even though your kid was still alive? YOU FUCKING IDIOT! WHY?"

"BECAUSE!" shouted Vergil. "I... could not protect him... I searched for father's sword so that it could help me. I told you. I needed more power... To protect those that I loved... And to gain it, I would've stooped to the most darkest of deeds... But it didn't matter... How can I protect them, when I couldn't even beat you?"

"Who gives a fuck if you can beat me or not? They were your family! You had a responsibility to be there for them!"

"As I told you, it no longer matters... She... She's dead, brother. And my son despises me with a hatred as deep as his soul... All that is left... Is to live..."

Dante shook his head. "You may be older, but you're a fool... What point is there in living, when there's nothing to live for?"

Vergil closed his eyes. "That may be... But at least now... I can return to my quest for power. As well as seek salvation."

"Salvation? Tch. You idiot," he muttered as he turned away from his older brother.

"Years ago, I sought the sword of our father. The Force Edge, Sparda," he explained. "Back then, I sought it for the power to surpass him, as well as protect my family. And now... It is the key to my salvation."

"What the hell are you talking about?" blurted Dante.

One small click was all he needed to hear. He quickly lifted Rebellion slightly upward. It was enough to block Yamato's oncoming blade.

Dante rolled forward, and faced his brother. He held Yamato in his right hand, pointed downward.

"What the hell do you think you're doin'?" asked the younger brother in a calm tone.

"In order to achieve salvation, I need to wield and absorb the powers of father's sword. And to do that," he explained as he lifted his left arm forward, with palm open, "I need your half of the amulet."

Dante only gave out a small laugh and smirked. "You obviously don't pay attention to me; not that you would. I told you. I got rid of the sword a long time ago. Does "threw it down a portal on a mission," ring any bells?"

"Ahahahahah!" Vergil laughed, catching his brother off guard. "And I believe every word you say. However, are you that oblivious to your demonic senses?"

Dante's smirk instantly became a frown.

"You're either lying to me, or don't feel it at all. I, however, believe it is the latter. You know where father's sword is. As do I."

Vergil's left hand lifted itself and pointed to his left. Dante glanced to his right, to see what he was pointing at. There was nothing there. But then he realized that what he was pointing at went farther. In the distance, out in space, was a planet. Dante then remembered it. When he arrived, there two planets.

The Dark Slayer could read his brother's expression. "That's right. Since my arrival, I have felt it. It is there, Dante. Our father's sword. It is in the planet below... On Gran Pulse."

Dante continued to look in that direction, before looking back at his brother. He unsheathed Rebellion and pointed it at his brother. "No way. You're not getting my amulet, or that sword. I won't let you. I won't allow it."

This caused Vergil to laugh again. "You know, I've realized something. But I am sure you are aware of this, as well. You and I have always been rivals. We are like oil and water. Fire and ice... Light and dark. We have always been in the other's way." He then got into a hardened stance. "But I believe that it is time... that you and I settle our long rivalry, here and now!"

Dante only gave a smirk. "Couldn't have said it better myself. I told you before, bro. I will stop you... Even if I have to kill you again to do it!"

Seconds passed as both brothers exchanged glares.

Then, with lightning speed, both brothers lunged at each other and clashed swords. The rivals had begun their battle again.

-Palamecia Bridge-

The Pauldrons and Aillettes that were adorned on the fal'Cie's head blasted spells of the Fire, Blizzard, Thunder, and Water classes, at the l'Cie, as they dodged.

Lightning and Fang moved left and right to the right Pauldron, and both swung their weapons at it. They landed a few hits, before they were blasted away by Firaga spells.

As they landed backwards, Nero and Snow lunged forward, both of their fists landing on the face of the pauldron. Both pushed their fists inward, but were both forced backwards by the other spells from the other faces.

On the other side, Hope and Vanille fired spells at the masks, and support spells, such as Barfire, Barfrost, Barthunder, Barwater, Protect, and Shell. Sazh was firing away with his pistols, and then transforming it to his rifle. He aimed it at the being continued firing.

Nero then dashed forward toward the fal'Cie's face, and sent a barrage of bludgeoning strikes to the barrier. He did so for a few moments, before he was sent flying backwards.

**"Fools. What can mere l'Cie do?"** it taunted.

This caused Lightning to scowl. "Damnit, that shield covering his face is too strong!"

"I don't care!" blurted Nero as he got his weapon ready.

"Hold it, Pretty Boy. We need a plan-"

Nero then charged forward. "NO I DON'T!"

Nero then jumped forward again, transforming to his Level One Devil Trigger. Both the Demon Avatar and Nero sent a flurry of furious punches towards the shield that covered the fal'Cie's face. With a loud cry, he sent his Bringer fist hard onto the shield. However, nothing occured.

**"Weak,"** muttered Barthandelus. **"Very weak."**

Barthandelus then opened its palm and pushed Nero backwards. He skidded on the ground backwards, and stopped near the other l'Cie. He was growling to himself for getting caught in a trap, before looking back at the two females who glared at him.

"Alright, alright," he sighed. "You were talking about a plan?"

"It's those stupid faces of his!" blurted Snow. "They're hiding his face, so we don't punch him!"

Fang glanced at the man. "Thanks for dumbing it down, Mr. Hero."

Nero rose up from his position. "So basically, we rub the grins off of their arrogant faces!"

The group then rushed towards the being. Nero, Hope, Fang, and Sazh went to its left, while Lightning, Snow and Vanille went towards the right.

-Palamecia Exterior-

From left to right, metal came in contact with metal. Rebellion and Yamato struck each other with the same ferocity as their wielders had for each other.

Dante swung for Vergil, who parried against his brother's sword. The Dark Slayer swung for his brother's legs, but the Swordmaster used his sword to block the Katana, and pushed it away. Vergil quickly sheathed Yamato, and began swiping at Dante with the scabbard. The Red Coat held both his sword's handle and the blade to block and push his brother's weapon aside.

With enough strength, Vergil swatted Rebellion to the side, and struck Dante's face with the scabbard. The blow forced him back one step. It took him a split second to see his brother crouched and his hand on the white hilt of his blade. At the last moment, Dante jumped upwards to avoid the Upper Slash. In mid-air, Dante took out Ebony and Ivory, aiming them straight at his brother. The handguns fired a torrent of bullets at the cold devil, who retaliated by unsheathing the katana, and swung it in a circular motion to capture them. He lined them up on the tip of his sword, before slicing the air horizontally, thus sending them flying at the devil hunter. Dante then used magical energy to create a platform behind him. He then kicked off of it to avoid the oncoming bullets.

Vergil unsheathed his sword, and crouched into a stance while purple energy enveloped his weapon. Above him, four Summoned Swords appeared in a green flash. Each sword flew at him at a different time. Dante moved to his right, then to his left. He ducked under the oncoming sword, and then did a backflip jump before the final one could impale him where it would not regenerate. He landed on one knee and looked forward, to see that Vergil had lifted up his sword three times. He could see trio of deadly purple spheres known as the Judgement Cut. He rolled to his left and right sides to avoid them.

Dante's head shot upwards, to see Vergil rushing towards with hand in hilt. Dante grinned as he rushed forward as well with his sword pointed at his brother. At the same time, Vergil did a Rapid Slash, while Dante performed a Stinger. The force of both attacks pushed both Sons of Sparda backwards, only for them to begin swiping at each other again.

-Palamecia Bridge-

Light and Snow ran towards the right side of the fal'Cie. Spells of Fire, and Thunder flew towards the soldier. Snow jumped into the air, and casted the spell, Shellra, at the woman. The attacks spells were deflected away easily.

He planted his foot on the Right Pauldron and began pounding on it with Froststrike repeatedly. The white upside-down face was being covered with ice after every blow. He then kicked off of the face, cracking its frozen mug.

Lightning side jumped left and right after the Shellra spell ended. Thundara was aimed at her feet, and she jumped high into the air. She spun gracefully as she avoided and dived towards the Right Pauldron. She used the Blazefire Saber to swat the oncoming Thunder spells away. She then used Aquastrike to charge her blade with Water energy. She pointed it downwards, and impaled it on the face of on the Right Ailette.

Electricity crackled from the Pauldron, and then made its way to the Ailette as well. Both masks were silent, but their expressions had the impressions that they were screaming. Suddenly, a huge clunk was heard. Both armors on Barthandelus' right side were falling off.

"My turn!" cried Vanille as she whipped her Binding Rod backwards. She then lunged it forward to send out the hooks. They latched onto the armor, that were still attached to each other.

She then took a deep breath, and pulled on the rod. Surprisingly, the huge armor was being pulled towards her, despite her small frame. This surge of strength was mainly due to her experience as a Pulse l'Cie. Vanille began pulling the huge chunk of armor using her right shoulder, and began to turn it in a two-seventy degree angle, aiming for the fal'Cie's face.

Sazh, who was firing at the Left Pauldron, heard a loud grating sound behind him. He glanced over his shoulder, and his eyes became as wide as saucers. The Right Pauldron and Ailette were flying towards. Reacting quickly, he ducked onto the floor with his guns covering his eyes, and whimpering in fear. Luckily, the two armor pieces flew over him.

Both chunks flew to the fal'Cie's shield, and partially went in. Snow noticed this, and pounded his fists together.

"Leave this to me!" he shouted as he ran forward.

He jumped into the air, and did a three-sixty turn on his left side. He charged his left arm with Froststrike, and punched the armor on the shield. He pushed his fist forward even more, and obliterated the armor. However, it only cracked the shield but not enough for the shield to break.

"Wow," muttered Hope. "That's a creative way of beating him."

Fang had just jumped out of the way, while Nero reached out with his Spectral Bringer, and clenched both the Pauldron and the Ailette on the left. He clenched his teeth together as he pulled on the armor. He was able to get a grip on both armors, and tugged away. He was pulling so hard, that when he finally pulled the armor out, the momentum of the pull made him accidentally lose his grip on the Pauldron and Ailette. They were both flying towards Fang at high speed.

Despite the situation, Fang only smirked. She quickly got her Bladed Lance, and began twirling it.

"Hey, Light!" she called. The soldier glanced at her. "Catch!"

She jumped into the air, and swung her spear at the armor like a bat, and towards the soldier. Seeing what the Pulsian hunter was planning, Lightning did an aerial backflip. In the last possible moment, the girl kicked both her feet off of the debris, changing their direction towards the being's shield, and impaling itself into the shield.

Nero grinned as demonic aura covered his Devil Bringer. "This one's mine!"

He jumped towards the shield, and did a three-sixty spin to get momentum.

"SAAAHHH!" screamed Nero as he landed his Bringer fist on the armor and pushed it inwards. The force caused the the barrier to crack even more, before finally breaking apart.

The seven l'Cie faced the fal'Cie, who, despite being robbed of its only defense, grinned at them.

"Nothing to protect you now," said Lightning.

-Palamecia Exterior-

Vergil pushed Dante forward, making the devil hunter stumble backwards. When he faced his opponent again, he was met with a hard jab from a metal gauntlet, sending him flying backwards.

Dante rolled and skidded across the ground, until his back met a wall. He fell forward on his knee, wiping the blood from his mouth. The younger brother glanced up at his brother. On his right arm, was a gauntlet that was dark grey, covered in white lines that glowed pure light. The gauntlet had a mouth with fangs over the fist. Suddenly, bright white light appeared on his other arm, as well as his legs. On his left arm was another gauntlet similar to the other one, while grieves appeared on feet and shins. It also had lines of light on them, as well as feet with claws on the end of the toes. This was the Devil Arm, Beowulf.

Dante laughed to himself. "So that's why that rich snob came complainin' to me that one day. And now I know why he thought it was me."

"Selling Devil Arms to humans. I knew you were poor, brother, but I did not perceive your situation to be this serious," remarked Vergil.

"Not poor! In debt," corrected Dante. "And don't think that your flashy gloves and boots are gonna help you in this fight. I've got my own set, too."

He instantly got up, and got into a horse stance, as green light enveloped his arms and legs. He changed his fighting stances as the gauntlets and grieves, Gilgamesh, appeared on his arms and legs.

"Be it by sword or fists, I'm kickin' your ass either way."

Vergil smirked at him. He whipped his arm in the air, before tugging on his collar. "Hmph. This may be fun."

Both half devils ran towards the other, and punched forward with their right fist. Both fists collided with each other, and they followed it with a left hook and knee, followed by a right knee. They continued to attack the other with a flurry of blows, not even noticing that they were moving along the path.

Two right jabs pushed them away from each other, but they both faced the other for another spar. Vergil swung a left hook, but Dante ducked under it. Unbeknownst to the Dark Slayer, the saw on Dante's right grieve was spinning. Dante did a backflip, kicking Vergil under his chin and sending him upwards.

Dante jumped up as his brother fell on the ground. He then pointed his feet downwards and shot towards Vergil in a pink light.

Vergil was able to spot Dante's attack. He landed on his feet, and, at the last moment, caught Dante's feet. He twisted him in mid-air, and he landed flat on his back. Dante opened his eyes, and quickly rolled out of the of Vergil's fist. However, he was still blasted away by a shockwave of light.

As soon as he got on his feet, the devil hunter was hit with a whirlwind kick, and then felt his brother's foot implant himself on his chin. Vergil performed a Rising Sun technique, kicking his brother upwards into the air. He then began to do frontfilps in mid-air, and charged for his brother with a powerful revolving kick, performing the Lunar Phase.

Dante was knocked downwards onto the ground, and rolled out of the way of Vergil's stomp. He used the opportunity to sweep Vergil's foot off of the ground and kicked him in mid-air.

The Dark Slayer kicked off of the ground, rushing towards Dante. The younger brother raised his right leg, and waited for his brother to make contact. When they met, Dante unleashed a flurry of kicks at rapid speed, while Vergil countered with a flurry of fists. The force of their attacks caused their bones to crack, but due to their healing factor they recovered quickly. The both finally sent one final kick and punch over to other, before they were sent falling backwards.

Vergil rolled off of his back onto his feet, where he skidded on the skidded on his back, before getting on a crouching position. From there, he jumped into the air, and twirled in the air, getting ready to do a vertical kick to Dante.

Dante charged his right gauntlet with Gilgamesh's power, and punched Vergil's kick. Both of the kept the stalemate as they growled at each other in ferocity. Finally, the energy of both Devil Arms pushed them both away. Dante crashed into one of the ship's gun turrets, while Vergil stumbled on the ground.

The claws on Beowulf's grieves halted Vergil, as he returned to a fighting stance, and then ran towards Dante, where his run became a sprint. Dante then ran out of the turrets, and then sprinted towards his brother.

At the exact same time, both brothers leaped towards the other, crying out as they did so. Dante's gauntlets were spewing out pink energy, while Vergil's shone brighter with light. Both of their right fists lunged backwards and met each other, in a stalemate. Dante was covered in red and pink aura, while Vergil was covered in a blue and white one.

"VEEERRRGIIIL!"

"DAAANTEEE!"

The sons of Sparda pushed their fists forward and were pushed away from each other, only to run forward again. Instantly, they barraged each other with punches at lightning speed with furious force. Vergil landed a hook on Dante, who planted his foot to recover from the recoil. He retaliated with a jab at Vergil's face, who slid backwards.

Both rushed forwards and continued their barrage of fists. In the middle of it, Dante landed a kick on Vergil's left side. Vergil grabbed Dante's leg and landed a right hook on his face, making him stumble backwards.

Dante ran forward, and continued his barrage against his brother. Vergil saw an opening, and caught Dante under his chin. Vergil tried to continue the uppercut, but found that he couldn't. Dante put pressure on his head to push the fist downwards, clenching his teeth as well. Dante then swatted away Vergil's arm, and headbutted him.

Vergil clenched his head, but immediately went after Dante again. Both brothers swung angrily at the other. Each fist they shot out landed with the other. Dante then feinted a punch, and grabbed his brother's slicked hair. He then kneed Vergil's face, making stumble backwards. This gave Dante enough time to charge his right gauntlet fully. He then landed a an uppercut, powered with demonic energy, on Vergil's chin. The force of the uppercut sent him flying upwards. Dante began spinning as he did the uppercut. He then finished it by pushing his fist upwards. Dante's left grieve saw spun wildly with demonic energy, as he delivered a roundhouse kick to Vergil's stomach and sent him flying onto the floor.

Vergil skidded wildly on the floor form the force of the kick. He was rolling on his back, when he crashed onto the metal shell of the Palamecia. He fell on his right knee, panting in pain as the Beowulf disappeared in a bright light. He glanced upwards to see his brother, Gilgamesh disappearing in a green light. Dante only glared at his brother's current state.

Vergil only scowled at his brother, before noticing a taste in his mouth. He then wiped his lips with the back of his hand. On his gloves were red liquid. Blood.

Vergil only chuckled to himself. His chuckle became a laugh, and then erupted into all out laughter.

Dante raised an eyebrow. "What's so funny, bro?"

Vergil shook his head. "You... Only you could do this... Only you could manage to make me feel pain. Only you could be able to make me feel this way... To make my own blood boil." He slowly rose from the ground, and reached for the scabbard attached on his coat. "I have fought against many a foolish demon." He then twirled his sheath with his left hand. "And have faced numerous demon lords. As well as that boy..." He then stopped his scabbard and held it out in front of him. Vergil's hand grabbed Yamato's hilt, and slowly unsheathed it. "But only you... Only you can take me to the point where the devil wants out... Only you can get me this angry!"

"Gee. Aren't I special?" muttered Dante, who unsheathed Rebellion from his back. "You wanna go apeshit on my ass, go ahead. Like I said, I'm kickin' your ass either way."

Both brothers were enveloped in demonic energy, as their eyes flashed with light. Dante's shone yellow, while Vergil's shone bright green.

**"HAAAHHH!"**

Suddenly, red and blue lightning struck the Palamecia.

-Palamecia Bridge-

**"Foolish l'Cie,"** chuckled Barthandelus. **"Destroying me will take more effort than that!"**

Electricity then crackled over the being, forcing the group to cover their eyes.

"What's this guy doin'?" asked Sazh.

"He's amplifying his magic! He wants his spells to hit us harder," explained Vanille.

"Then we're just gonna have to hit him harder!" proclaimed Snow.

The fal'Cie roared at them, and unleashed blasts of Ruinga at them.

"Follow my lead!" shouted Lightning, as Ruinga spells burst around her. She rolled on the ground and fired Thundaga at Barthandelus.

Nero slid under the oncoming Ruinga. He jumped over another one, only this time, he caught it with his Bringer. He then shot it back at the fal'Cie, who swatted it away.

**"You will taste agony!"** The fal'Cie then gathered energy into the many holes on its shoulders. Multiple spheres of energy gathered together. It roared as various spells of Ruin were fired at the group.

Nero rolled to his left, and even performed his Table Hopping technique to avoid the blasts. However, one hit him head on, and he crossed his arms to protect himself.

Hope frantically avoided the blasts. He rapidly crawled off of the ground, and jumped backwards on his bottom. When he got up, the boy saw that Vanille was having trouble avoiding the spells and fell on her bottom. She did not notice the oncoming Ruinga behind her.

Not even thinking twice, Hope ran towards the girl and pushed her out of the way, saving both of them.

"Are you alright?" asked the boy as he helped the girl up. She smiled and nodded at him.

The fal'Cie roared at them. **"Ignorant mortals. Feel the wrath of the fal'Cie!"** It opened its mouth, and strangely, its face opened up to reveal multiple laser turrets. They began to charge up.

Nero instantly caught sight of them, and transformed into his Level One Devil Trigger. Swinging his arms to the side, he pushed the others to side. However, the fal'Cie fired its Thanatosian Smile towards the boy. Nero's eyes widened as it came closer to him. It then made contact with the boy.

Barthandelus grinned, as it saw that Nero was not where he once stood. Its grin was then forced to disappear, when its chin slammed onto the floor. The fal'Cie's head was then pulled upwards and then backwards. It then saw an upside down Nero growling at him, before jumping in mid-air. He then summoned a Spectral Bringer, and punched the fal'Cie's head onto the floor. The boy landed next to his fellow companions.

Barthandelus slowly raised its head. **"Yes... You all have power... But is this the true extent of yours, boy?"** It then growled loudly, as seven dark purple spheres appeared on the holes on its shoulders. In a flash, they flew towards the entire group.

Nero was still in his transformed state, so he managed to summon the Avatar in front of him. The being appeared in front of him, and crossed its arms as the spell made impact. The spell pushed the Avatar closer to the boy, but it managed to stop it with both of its hands. The spirit roared as it swatted the spell away, inadvertently sending it to the spell that flew towards the soldier. Both collided with each other and blew up in a burst of light.

The others tried to avoid them but were not so lucky.

Snow crossed his arms as the spell hit him. He then slowly lifted his head as he felt nothing as the Hope and Sazh did the same. "Wh- What the hell was that? That didn't do anything!"

Fang and Vanille, however started to feel weak. "Q- Quickly! Be- Before-" Fang then fell to her knees, followed by Vanille.

Hope then grasped his stomach. "Guh- I... I don't feel so hot..." He then fell forward. Sazh then grabbed his head and fell to the ground.

Nero and Light stepped backwards, as Snow fell before them. Both glared daggers at the fal'Cie before them.

"What did you do to them?" demanded Lightning.

It laughed at the two remaining l'Cie. **"I have cursed them with the spell, Doom. It is a spell that slowly kills those affected by it. The only way for you to salvage them, is to defeat me before five minutes expire. If not, then they shall suffer a painful death."**

"Five minutes, huh?" mused Nero as he cracked his knuckles. "Plenty of time for the two of us to kick your ass."

"Wrong. Three," corrected the pink-haired woman.

Nero glanced to his right, to see Lightning pull out a pink crystal rose. She threw it up into the air, and jumped after it. She slashed at it with her Saber, and a large pink summon rune appeared. From it, the towering white thunder knight, Odin appeared.

Both the soldier and the knight took out their weapons and glared at the fal'Cie.

Nero smirked. "Ohoho. You're screwed now."

-Palamecia Exterior-

A huge explosion was seen near the center of the flagship. Another was then seen near the left turbine. Then near the neck of the ship. Then again in the center.

From the explosion, a bright red blur flew backwards and skidded on the ground. The Devil Trigger form of Dante looked upwards, only to jump out of the way of Vergil's Yamato.

He gained some distance from him, as he held his Rebellion in a reverse stance. He then swung his sword wildly three times, and sent shockwaves towards his older brother.

Vergil countered every swing by swatting them with his O-Katana. He then raised his sword charged it demonic energy. The Yamato shone with an ominous blue aura.

The Dark Slayer swung it downwards, and a large wave of blue light came rushing towards the devil hunter. What surprised him was that the attack was the height of a skyscraper. He quickly dove to the right to avoid the oncoming strike.

Dante 's head shot up at his brother. **"Oooh. Big bro learned a few new tricks." **

Vergil glared at his brother with anger. **"See me as I am now. More powerful than you, and afraid of nothing!"**

His brother only shook his head. **"Nah. I can still kick your ass. Easy."**

This caused Vergil to growl. **"Then prove it... Show me. Show me your true power! DAANTEEE!"**

Vergil Air Tricked up to his brother with a fully powered Yamato. Dante quickly raised Rebellion and held the sword by its handle and blade. Both brothers pushed against each other with ferocious anger. Vergil then began to push Dante backwards, catching the Stylish Devil off guard. Instinctively, Dante pushed his brother's sword to the side, unleashing another mighty wave of energy. Dante could have sworn that he saw several ships explode.

Both locked into another stalemate, before pushing off of each other. Dante swung Rebellion left and right, pushing Vergil backwards. Vergil swung Yamato upwards, and then jumped over the devil hunter. He swiped at him, but Dante blocked. He lunged his sword forward, but the Cold Devil parried with his Katana, and turned the hilt to hit his brother in the face.

The force of the strike made Dante stumble backwards, and he lost his footing on a nearby slope. He was tumbling downwards near the edge of the ship. He was on all fours, when he jumped backwards to avoid Vergil's attempt to impale him in the back.

They both faced each other, both in a hardened stance. Their expressions were unreadable to the other. Only once in their lives had they faced each other in such a manner. Years ago, in that cursed tower. Their final encounter in their human forms. Before Mallet Island.

At the same time both brothers charged at each other, and their swords clashed. The clanging of metal was drowned out by the wind. Sparks flew in the air, as both brothers swung at each other. With their teeth clenched, they ignored the pain in their arms from the force of the strikes.

To them, this was more than a battle. This was life and death. Only one would walk out of this battle alive.

With another strike both half-devils pushed away from each other. They glared at each other with great hatred, before running towards the other. Time slowed down as they both sprinted. Dante's arms followed behind him wildly, while Vergil's run was more controlled. Their grips on their swords tightened as they came closer, and closer, and closer. They swung their swords when they were exactly three feet from each other.

**"HEEEYYAAAGGGHHH!"**

They both dashed past the other and stopped, reverting back to their human forms. The brothers' backs were away from each other. They both remained in their pose, waiting for the results to show.

At the exact same moment, both brothers fell on their knees, clenching their stomachs as blood fell on the floor.

Dante managed to get up, and turned to his brother, smirking. "Well, well. You did get better. You actually managed to hit me this time."

Vergil got up and turned to his brother, growling. "What do you mean, "I got better?" I was always better! I sought more power, while you wasted your life spending money and eating yourself away! Yet you still managed to defeat me years ago? Ridiculous!"

"What's that? Big bro getting jealous?"

"No... I'm merely stating our differences. You believe us to be equal. But even now, we are far from it. I have found power. You know of it." His right hand began to glow green, and the huge gash in his chest disappeared completely.

"Whoa. You couldn't do that befo-" He was then blasted backwards by Ruinga. Volts then coursed throughout his body, as Thundaga was shot at him.

"I have the power of the l'Cie. Though it is at a price, it is more than enough to defeat you." He then unsheathed Yamato, slowly making his way to the paralyzed Dante.

-The Proudclad-

"L'Cie spotted. Taking shot now." Multiple laser cannons aimed for the rogue l'Cie and fired away.

-Palamecia Exterior-

As Vergil approached Dante, he heard the sounds of oncoming objects. He looked to his left, and instantly used his purple shield to cover himself. The lasers hit the shield, and surprisingly, cracked it. However, that was not the main problem. The lasers had penetrated the small portion of the ship, and was cut off.

The shaking forced Vergil to fall on all fours. Before he knew it, he and the chunk he was standing on fell off of the ship.

Dante ran towards the edge, reaching out his hand, though it was pointless.

"VERGIIIL!" he called out with eyes wide. His brother, however, was nowhere to be seen.

His hand was reached out, but he slowly clenched it, and closed his eyes. Despite being how he was, Vergil was still his brother.

He then looked back towards the Bridge. The shield was still up, but he knew that it would be gone when he arrived. Dante activated his Devil Trigger, and ran towards the Bridge.

He did not see the demonic claw that had just gabbed the edge.

-Palamecia Bridge-

Lightning jumped backwards as she fired at the fal'Cie with her gun.

The being shook them off, and fired of its Baptism in Ruins. Multiple Ruin blasts hit both l'Cie and the Eidolon, but they kept going at it with the fal'Cie. Odin attacked Barthandelus gracefully, with Crushing Blows, Skyward Swings, Seismic Strikes, and Flourishes of Steel.

Nero and Lightning both attacked the fal'Cie with mixed attacks of Elemental Strikes, and Nero's Exceeded combos. Lightning performed a Blitz, but was blasted away with Ruinga. Nero followed with an EX Streak.

Barthandelus then blasted Nero with Destruido blasts. The force of the impacts sent him flying backwards, but Odin caught him in its hand and twisted around to throw him at the being.

"YOU SON OF AAA...!" screamed Nero as he swung his fist at the fal'Cie. However, his fist made contact with a barrier.

**"That is not enough, Son of Vergil!"** he taunted as Nero was pushed back.

Nero was caught off guard by the comment, that he did not notice the oncoming Ruinga until the last moment.

"NERO!" called Lightning, as she rushed in front of him and countered with a Ruinga of her own.

The spells exploded, and out of the light came Nero, who used his Bringer to slug the fal'Cie's face in.

"Odin NOW!" she called, as the Eidolon transformed into its Horse Gestalt Mode and jumped into the air. She grabbed Odin's Sword, and lunged towards the fal'Cie. She let out battle cry as she twirled into the air, hitting the fal'Cie dead on. She landed a few feet away from it, as Odin's Sword disappeared. However, she was only met with laughter.

**"Is this your true power? Pitiful."** Its face then opened up and fired at her. **"BEGONE!"**

Lightning's eyes widened as the beam came at her. Suddenly, Nero jumped in front of her, with arms crossed, taking the full blast while she also took a considerable amount of damage.

Both flew backwards on all fours.

"Idiot... Why did you have to be so reckless?"

"The blast would've incinerated you. It hurts, but I'll get over it."

**"Two minutes left,"** called Barthandelus.

The girl panted to herself. "Son of a bitch..."

Nero glanced at her. "Giving up?"

"Of course not..." she quickly replied. "You?"

"You tryin' to be funny?" he asked.

She smirked. "No... But I can't summon Odin for a while... Our friends are in danger..."

"I know... But we've gotta keep fighting... Or else-"

Lightning then clutched her l'Cie Mark in pain, as it began to glow pink. "AAAHHH!"

"Light? Light! What- What's goin- GRAAAGGHHH!"

He then clutched his arm, where his Mark was. Lightning continued to scream, as the Pink Rose Crystarium Crystal slowly escaped her chest. When it did, it flew right into Nero's arm, via the l'Cie Mark. When it entered, he rose up and clutched his stomach. He was covered in blue demonic aura. But it then changed into a pink hue, and he rose into the air.

His eyes turned red as his Devil Trigger was activated. Behind him an Avatar appeared, but it was not Nero's Avatar. It was pink, but it looked like a familiar demon.

Lightning's eyes widened. "Raiden?"

"GRAAA**AAGGGHHHH!" **screamed Nero as he was covered in a pink light.

Nero then descended slowly to the floor, but his appearance had changed. His shoulder's were covered with spiked armor. He had an organic chest plate, and his feet had two sharp claws. His blue skinned face was covered by a red scarf. And on his back was the Sword of Thunder.

He opened his bright green eyes, and slowly unsheathed his sword, and pointed it toward the fal'Cie

**"This fight ends now."**

Ch. 23: The Price of Freedom

Nero unleashes the new abilities of his new Raiden Form on Barthandelus, proving to the being the power of the l'Cie. It is there, where the fal'Cie reveals to them the truth about their Focus. As the group makes their escape, the Palamecia flies towards Eden in self-destruct mode, thus endangering the entire world of Cocoon. One of our heroes stays behind, knowing the possible risks before him. To save the world, a price must be paid.

**Finally made a new DT for Nero. So here's how it works. Nero will get a new DT once the requirements are made:**

**1) The Eidolon is conquered.**

**2) The Demon God is defeated.**

**Thanks again, AND READ AND REVIEW!**


	24. The Price of Freedom

**Capcom and Square-Enix own DMC and FFXIII respectively. AN: Readers! As of now, it has been exactly one year since I joined this website. WHOOO! For those who haven't noticed, I completely updated my profile with character summaries and the like. So feel free to check it out. Kinda sad, this chapter. When "it" happens, you may want to play "A Change of Fortune" from the Asura's Wrath OST. Gives it a somber feel. Shout-out to Nipachan for remembering the anniversary!**

The Palamecia- The Price of Freedom

-The Palamecia-

Lightning slowly rose in awe. Before her, was her companion, Nero. He Devil Triggered right before her eyes, but took on a different form. He had taken on an appearance similar to that of the Thunder God, Raiden. And although this was surprise, she decided that gazing at the sight would do her no good. She quickly stood next to him in her fighting stance.

Nero only side-glanced at her once, before getting into his stance. Despite the wild pink aura coming from him, the soldier remained standing. Both l'Cie then rushed forward the fal'Cie.

Barthandelus fired its Destruido, but Nero deflected each spell as if they were bullets. Nero jumped into the air, and vertically swiped his blade. It then sent a wave of electric energy that sent currents throughout the being's system.

Lightning jumped upwards and began swiping at the fal'Cie's face along with Nero. After taking a considerable amount of damage, it fired Ruinga at the duo, sending them backwards.

Nero was able to do an Aerial Recovery. Electricity appeared on his feet, and he kicked off of them. He dove towards Barthandelus with blade in hand. He slashed at the fal'Cie, and followed it up with a powerful Thundaga.

Both he and the soldier rushed towards the staggered fal'Cie, and unleashed brutal swipes that would otherwise instantly kill a person. Lightning then took to the air, and began attacking left and right.

Nero slid backwards, and rushed forwards to unleash a Thunder Slash, which was a thunder variation of the Dark Slayer's move. He then jumped upwards to attacked with an Aerial Rave. He then finished it off with an Splitter.

Lightning jumped did a backflip, and fired at the fal'Cie in mid-air. Out of curiosity, she then turned back to their companions, who were on the ground, silent.

**"One minute left,"** said Barthandelus.

**"In that case," **said Nero, **"I believe that this battle is over."**

Nero then cocked his Bringer backwards, and then lunged it forward. A pink Spectral Bringer, latched onto the fal'Cie. He then sent electric currents through the being. Barthandelus growled in pain as the electricity struck him.

Nero then enveloped himself in demonic aura. He channeled the the demonic energy into the sword of thunder.

The fal'Cie roared at him, and opened its face. The cannons on its face charged with blue light, and fired at him.

Despite the oncoming spell, Nero showed no fear. He only dashed forward. He raised his sword, and began twirling it in a circular motion. He met with the beam and instantly began pushing it back. The fal'Cie did not know it, but Nero was absorbing the energy of the beam onto his blade. With a horizontal swing, canceling out the Thanatosian Smile.

The moment he did that, Lightning came from behind. "Time to end it!" She swung her Blaze Edge up, followed it up with some slashes and kicks. The force of the hit pushed the being's head to the side. She sent two more slashes, a gunshot, and then a backflip kick, sending the being's face upwards. She finished it off with two kicks, another slash, and finally a spinning slash which hit the fal'Cie twice. She unleashed her move, Army of One.

**"You're finished!" **cried Nero as he did a revolving jump into the air. He pointed the Sword of Thunder skyward, and a pink beam penetrated the heavens. Dark clouds appeared in the sky, thundering noise coming from it. From there, lightning struck the blade, enveloping it with Thunder energy.

**"DIIIEEE!"** cried Nero as he slashed the fal'Cie by the middle. When he made contact, a beam of thunder hit the fal'Cie from above.

Crying out in pain, Barthandelus' body fell forward, and slowly dissolved in bright light.

Nero twirled his Katana, before leaning it against the opening of the scabbard. He slid it slowly before inserting it, before finally sheathing it with a click.

The boy was then enveloped in a pink light, covering him from head to toe. He then reverted back to his human form, and instantly fell on his knees.

Lightning crouched down next to him. He was staring at his hands.

"What- What just happened to you?" she asked.

Nero was panting to himself. "I... I don't know... I felt a sudden surge of energy. That power was Raiden's, that I'm sure of. But I didn't get his Devil Arm... So how did I do that?" He let out a sigh, and looked at her. "You alright?"

She only shrugged. "A few cuts and bruises, but I'll live. You?"

He let out a quiet laugh. "I feel tired. I guess that transformation took more outta me than I thought." His smile then turned into one of shock, as he turned to her again. "The others."

They both turned around to see their fellow l'Cie on the ground. They both ran to their friends. Light knelt down next to Snow while Nero went to Hope.

He began shaking the boy. "Hope. Hope! Speak to me! Don't go there, kid! It ain't your time!"

Lightning silently observed Snow. 'Are we too late?'

She then noticed that the man's eyelids slightly cringed. Seeing this, she pulled Snow's collar, and then began slapping his face repeatedly. "Wake up, idiot!"

The repeated slaps forced Snow's eyes to open. "M- Mommy?"

This caused Lightning to shake her head. "Not even close."

It seemed that the spell had worn off, and the others where regaining consciousness.

Hope felt dizzy, from all of the shaking Nero did. "How long have we been out?"

"Not that long," answered Nero. "A few more seconds, and I think we would've lost you guys."

"Just my luck," muttered Sazh as he rubbed his temples.

Fang rose up. "So whatever happened to the fal'Cie?"

"Gone. Nero and I defeated it," explained the soldier.

Snow shook his head. "A fal'Cie running the Sanctum... Who'd have thought it?"

"So that means... Eden isn't controlling the Sanctum after all..." muttered Hope.

**"As I said before..." **said a voice. Everyone looked up to see a bright light appear. Emerging from it was the human form of Barthandelus, Galenth Dysley. "I am Lord-Sovereign."

Everyone took out their weapons instantly. "Looks like taking you down isn't going to be as easy as we thought," said Sazh.

"Ease is not the pending issue. You merely have not fought to win," explained the Primarch.

"Ah, I see. So instead of fighting to kick your ass, we fight to kill you. Sorry. Won't happen again," assured Nero.

"You all should already quite well know the method to dispatch our kind. The battle just now proved that you are all capable of performing the task... Of Ragnarok."

Six of the seven l'Cie recognized the word. A few days earlier, the word was said in their minds when they were marked.

Fang, however, knew nothing of this. "What the hell's Ragnarok?" A sudden pain came across her arm, where her mark was. She clutched it, as the others looked at the sight.

Dysley only chuckled at her. "Pitiful l'Cie. You have long forgotten your Focus, and must be reminded." He pointed at the group. "Ragnarok is the beast that is meant to lay waste to this planet. And one of you must become it." The statement forced everyone to gasp. "Each of you have seen it in the dream. One among you-" He then transported next to Fang. "-will become that monstrosity." He then appeared behind Hope. "Defeat Orphan." The Primarch stood between Lightning and Nero. "And destroy Cocoon." He then reappeared in front of the group.

Lightning glared at the Primarch. "Orphan? Who's that?"

Barthandelus turned to them. "Orphan is the font of Eden's power," he answered. "Orphan fuels Eden's strength. In turn, Eden sustains you humans, and the rest of our kind. Destroy Orphan, and you will unleash a great force such as this world has never seen." He clenched his fist forward. "Cocoon will be torn asunder."

Nero slowly clenched his fists together, as well as his teeth. Rage was growing every second.

Fang rose up from the floor. "So if I did that... Destroyed Orphan..."

The old man chuckled, and appeared before her. "Then your Focus would finally be complete."

He teleported away from the soldier's strike. "So what? Who the hell said it had to be that way?"

Snow walked forward and raised his hand, with Serah's Tear in it. "Serah told us to save Cocoon, right before she became crystal! To save it! And that's exactly what we intend to do!" he stated. "She was trying to explain to us how to fulfill it before-

The fal'Cie in disguise interrupted him with his laughter. "Is that what you believe? Allow me to help you see the truth of things. When you arrived at that moment, your friend wept crystal tears. The reason this was so, was because her Focus required that she bring every single one of you together. That girl did nothing, but assemble the tools needed for Cocoon's destruction."

Hearing this, Snow's heart felt as if it was ripped to shreds. The final words that came from the lips of his fiancee was what held him together. Now, here was this man, a fal'Cie in disguise, telling him that he was meant to be a l'Cie. That his loved one was meant to make him into one. "No... It can't be..."

Lightning glanced at the man who was her sister's husband-to-be.

"Did it never occur to you? Or did you simply refuse to countenance the thought?" asked Dysley. "No matter what you believe, the truth will not change. You are all meant to bring about this world's end, and bring forth a new salvation to the universe-"

"SHUUUT UUUUP!"

Nero as he lunged forward, and attempted to punch the old man. He was protected by a magical barrier, but the half-demon continued to push his fist forward. Eventually, his fist pushed him away from Barthandelus.

"SHUT UP! I've had it up to here with you and your bullshit lies! All you do is lie, lie, and lie again! Disguising yourself as a the "benevolent" leader? Telling the people of Cocoon that the Purge is necessary? Saying that l'Cie should be executed? Every word that you've said is a lie, I know it! Everything about us, Serah... And about that bastard Vergil."

The fal'Cie only shook his head. "One of humanity's greatest flaws... They choose to deny the truth if it contradicts what they believed in. No matter what you say, boy, nothing will change the truth. Your father said as much. You are his son. No matter how much you you pray that it was not."

"Why you-"

"Regardless of what you feel, Grandson of Sparda. Cocoon will fall, by your hand or theirs."

"Why? Why do you want to destroy Cocoon? Aren't you one of its fal'Cie?"

"Remember back to the day where I sent you here. Did I not make it apparent then?"

Nero then tried to remember. The memories were vague, but he did know what he had heard. "To bring back your god... Is that what you're talking about?"

"Correct," nodded the man. "Your refusal to comply with the request only triggered the chain of events that have occurred."

Nero was slightly caught off guard by this. "W- What are you talking about?"

"Originally, I had intended for you to be made a l'Cie. Your heritage and blood would have made it easier. However, the girl was made a l'Cie as well, should you ever refuse to do so. Since that was the case, these six were also made l'Cie. Had you only done as I had ask, they would have been spared of their current fate, and perished along with the rest of the planet."

Nero's face had blanched completely. He took a step backwards, as if hit by a bullet. Was it true? Had he been the one that caused these people to be l'Cie inadvertently?

"No..." he muttered as he shook his head. "Y- You're lying again..."

Dysley then slowly flew upward. "If you will not face the truth, then face the peril of your plight."

The white owl flew overhead. It hovered above the group, where it grew larger and larger. It transformed into a large white ship, similar to the ones used by PSICOM.

"Run, l'Cie! See for yourselves how stark reality truly is!" In a flash of light, Barthandelus dissapeared.

The group looked at Nero, who only stared at his hands. "I... Caused all of this..."

"YO!" screamed a voice from above. Everyone turned around, to see Dante land behind them. He dusted himself off before looking at the group, noticing the looks on their faces. "You guys look like you've been hammered with a shocking truth." Despite his personality, the man could read them like a book.

The group remained silent, at his statement. Finally being fed up with it, he spoke up. "So, uh, where'd the ship come from?"

"Our "Primarch" was kind enough to leave this behind as a parting gift," answered the afro man.

Dante was rubbed his chin hairs in thought. He clapped his hands to get everyone's attention. "Well, no use standin' here! We've got to get out of here. Think of a new gameplan, yeah? I mean, there're still some grunts on this ship."

Hearing this, the group looked at each other, and slowly walked towards the ship. 'Man, what'd I miss?'

As he was walking, he noticed that Nero was still rooted to his spot. Lightning looked back and saw the same thing. Dante glanced over at her, and gave a hand gesture that said, "Let me."

The devil hunter walked up to the boy. "C'mon, kid. We've gotta go." Nero, however, stood there. "Hello? Kid, you with me?"

"He... He said that... I caused the others to become l'Cie... What- What if he was right? What if it's my fault Serah became a crystal, and the others... If I had done what he had asked, could I have prevented this?"

Dante shrugged. "Don't know, kid. What'd the old fart tell you to do?"

Nero's head fell. "He... He told me to destroy this world..."

Suddenly, the devil hunter smacked the back of Nero's head. "Hey! What the hell-"

"C'mon, kid! Were you really going to do something as stupid as destroy the world? No! No one would! Not even your new friends! You shouldn't blame yourself for doing what was morally right," lectured the man.

"But- But I could've-"

"You don't even know if what he was sayin' was the truth! And even if it was, what's done is done!" he interjected. "You can't change it now. All you can do, is move forward, and see what you do from there. I mean, isn't that how we've always done our jobs? It's worked for us so far, so I see no reason to stop doing it that way. And neither should you."

Nero's head shot up to the smirking man. He knew that what he was saying was true. In the long run, would he really have destroyed this world? He didn't come here for that. Still, he could not help but feel somewhat guilty.

Then, a pending question came to mind. "Where's Vergil?"

Dante's smirk then became a frown. He rubbed the back of his neck, looking away from the boy. He then shrugged. "I'm not sure."

"What do you mean you're not sure?" shouted the boy.

"Well, y'know. Me and him had a little discussion, which led to a fight-"

"You killed him?" he angrily asked.

"NO!" he shouted, but still managed to look composed. "We fought, but some goons got in the way. All I know, is that he fell. Whether or not he got lucky, I'm not sure."

Nero clenched his fist. "Dante... You knew that I wanted to kill him... You knew that I had to do it. Because of what he did... Because he... Because he's-"

"Your dad?" Dante finished.

Nero looked away. "Don't call him that! He's not my father!"

The red coated man stroke the bridge of his nose. "Okay, look. As much as I wish to talk about this, I can't. We have bigger things to worry about. You and your friends are still wanted, so we need to get outta here. Don't you think that's more important right now?"

Nero then looked back at him, and then over the man's shoulder. Standing there by the ship's opening, was the pink-haired l'Cie, Lightning. For whatever reason, she waited for both of them. Nero then remembered why she was fighting. At first, it was to stop the Sanctum, and save Serah. But with the new revelation, she looked unfazed. But he knew thoughts about those words were in her head, as well as his.

Nero let out a sigh, as if all of his anger went out instantly. He refocused now at the task at hand. His friends were still in danger. And he had to be there for them. What happened after that, well, was his own problem.

"Alright," agreed the boy. "Let's not keep them waiting... Uncle Dante."

Dante gave him incredulous look, before letting out a small laugh. He had forgotten that he was the boy's uncle.

As Nero was walking up the ramp, Lightning grabbed his shoulder. "Hey... Are you alright?"

Nero looked at her, and grinned. "Nope. Not at all... But I'll manage." The girl couldn't help but smirk to this.

"ALRIGHT, PEOPLE!" shouted Dante. "Let's get this show on the-" Dante suddenly stopped, with his eyes wide.

Nero and Lightning looked back at him, and both gained horrified expressions. The man slowly looked down, and saw what they saw. A sword had gone through his stomach. He then looked back at them. The sword was twisted in his stomach, and was swiped to the right, leaving a large wound. The man fell on his knees, grasping his stomach.

Nero stared at his fallen mentor, before looking at the man responsible. He shot a cold glare at the boy, who returned it with a horrified one. Slowly, his expression change into one of rage. Out of pure anger, he dashed towards the assailant, with vengeance in his eyes.

"VEEEERGIIIIL!" screamed the boy.

He sent a fist toward the man, but it was stopped. What shocked the boy even more, was the one who stopped it. "B- Boss?"

Dante examined the boy and, despite the blood coming from his mouth, smirked at him. Before he knew it, a fully charged metal gauntlet made a strong impact on Nero's face, which sent him flying. He flew straight onto the soldier, which pushed both of them inside the cargo entry of the ship. They crashed against the wall, and slid onto the floor.

"That's for slammin' me into the ground earlier!" shouted Dante as a gunshot was heard. Both l'Cie looked up to see a smoking Ebony, and above them was a destroyed panel. The ramp began to raise itself and close.

"Dante, NOOO!" shouted Nero as he got up.

"Hey, Lightning... Take care of the kid for me, yeah?" he said with a smirk.

Nero ran towards the ramp, but it was to high to reach the opening. Before he knew it, it closed. Both he and the soldier slammed their fists against it, in a vain attempt to open the hatch.

Suddenly, the ship then jerked. Nero and Lightning stumbled backwards, as the engines began to turn on.

"No! We've got to stop the ship!" shouted Nero as he ran towards the exit, with Lightning in tow.

They both made their way to the cockpit, where everyone was near the controls. "Sazh! Stop this damn ship, NOW!"

"What do you think I'm doing? The damn thing started by itself!" replied Sazh.

"We've got to land this thing. Dante's still down there. And Vergil just impaled him!" explained Lightning. This caused the others to gasp.

Sazh started pressing multiple buttons, but the ship continued to hover upwards. "What the hell? The thing won't respond to any of my commands!"

Nero ran towards the window, along with everyone else standing. In the bridge, Dante faced Vergil with a hand on his stomach.

"DAAAANTEEEE!" called Nero.

Suddenly, the ship flew off, the l'Cie with it.

Dante looked over his shoulder to see them fly off. He sighed in relief, but then the ship jerked. He stumbled for a bit, but easily regained his balance when he noticed Vergil coming towards him.

"Getting me from behind... That was a cheap shot, bro-" He was blasted back by Blizzaga. He crashed onto the central console under the throne. Before he could fall forward, Vergil impaled Yamato into Dante again, causing him to grunt in pain.

"No more games, brother. Give me the amulet, now!" demanded Vergil.

"Amulet? Why? Didn't we end in a dra-" Vergil pushed Yamato in deeper.

"You continue to deny me salvation? For the last time, GIVE IT TO ME!"

Dante flashed him a grin. "Screw. You."

His ire at its peak, Vergil twisted Yamato, making more blood escape from his brother. "I tried to be merciful, brother. But if you will not willingly give it to me, then I'll just take it from you, and kill you afterwards!"

He then tore Dante's collar open, knowing that it would be around his neck. But something was very wrong. It was not there.

Seeing his brother's shocked face, Dante smirked. "Something wrong?"

Vergil grabbed Dante's neck, rage fueling his every move. "Where is it?" he hissed.

"Who... Knows? Could be back home... Maybe... Maybe I dropped it during our fight? Who knows?" he told as he tried to catch his breath.

Vergil growled at him, but then let out a sigh. He pulled out Yamato, swiping it in the air to take off any bloody residue. Dante fell to the floor.

A small crackling sound was heard. Both Sons of Sparda looked at the computer. There was a small hole where Yamato had penetrated. This caused the computer to malfunction.

Suddenly the ship jerked, though Vergil managed to maintain his balance.

Then, the intercom was heard. **"WARNING! WARNING! SELF DESTRUCT SEQUENCE INITIATED! SYSTEM FAILURE! ENGINE CONTROLS DAMAGED! SHIP WILL MAKE CONTACT WITH EDEN! TEN MINUTES UNTIL ARRIVAL TO POINT OF NO RETURN! WARNING! WARNING!"**

"Hmm... How unfortunate," muttered Vergil, as he slowly sheathed O-Katana.

Dante's head shot upwards. "What the- What does that mean?"

"It means that this ship will be destroyed... Along with the rest of this planet..."

"WHAT?" shouted Dante.

Sighing, Vergil began to walk away. "Eden is the center of power to all of the fal'Cie and life on Cocoon. If the entire city was destroyed, Cocoon would cease to function. It would fall to the world below. It actually would save me the trouble of finding a way to get to Pulse."

Finally regaining some strength, Dante got up. "Wait, so you would let this world crash and burn? Just to get to Dad's sword?" He was met with silence. "Doesn't this place mean anything to you? You met your girl here. This was her home. You would let it die this easily?" he shouted.

Vergil finally stopped his movement, and sent his coldest glare to his brother. "This world... The people of this world... They are the ones responsible for this situation. They chose to blindly follow these beings, as long as they remain pampered and live their lives easily... It is this blindness, that causes them to kill many of their own... It was this blindness, that got her killed... Those people are responsible for her death... Why would I even bother saving them?"

Dante shook his head. "You... You heartless bastard..."

"So what will it be, brother? Will you save these people, who are responsible for their own damnation? Are you so foolish, that you would attempt to save such a lost world?"

"Of course... You may not believe it, but humanity can change. I know it. Yeah, some humans are rough around the edges, but they can adapt. All it takes to make that change, is for one idiot to stand up..."

Vergil kept his gaze longer, before shaking his head. "Foolishness, Dante... Foolishness..." He began to walk forward again. "Either way... This is the end for you, my brother..."

Dante waited for Vergil to leave. He knew what needed to be done. He had to stop this ship, or at least get it out of the way.

It was then, that he noticed two men hugging each other. They both looked like they had seen a ghost. Dante smirked and walked up to them. Both men whimpered in fear as he approached them, smile and all.

"Greetings, gentleman," greeted Dante. "You two look like reasonable dudes. Here's a question. If I wanted to stop this ship from crashing, where would I go to do that?"

Adam and Felix both looked at each other, and then back at the man. "Duuuh... Adam?"

Adam let out a sigh, and turned to Dante. "The ship's in auto-pilot, right now. The manual control is at the Northern Bridge of the Palamecia. Th- There's a computer that changes the ship's pilot mode. Imput the code, "Auto-Pilot Override." After that, you'll need someone who knows how to fly!"

"Don't worry 'bout that. That all?" both men nodded. "Good. Oh and, uh, I suggest you two get the hell out of here."

He walked away from the two, towards a nearby wall. Using his Trickster style, he ran up the wall, and exited through the roof.

Adam and Felix glanced at each other, before running for the exit.

-The Menrva-

The ship flew along the neck of the Palamecia, but then dove downward, and continued to descend.

"This is bad," said Sazh. "The stupid yoke's jammed!"

"What?" shouted Lightning.

Snow slammed his fist on the console. "Dammit! I knew this was a trap!"

"Who cares? We've gotta go back for Dante!" shouted Nero.

"I know! I want go back, but the stupid ship's broken!"

Hope was hanging on to a nearby seat, and something caught his eye. "Guys... Something's headed our way!"

Everyone looked out the window, and saw that a ship was heading for them. It had the appearance of a moth, in a green color. Its face was similar to that of a samurai war mask, and had multiple rockets and lasers. Aiming at them.

_"Not so fast, l'Cie!_" said the voice of Yaag Rosch.

Suddenly, the Menrva began to do barrel rolls, and swiftly dodged the oncoming missiles.

"I swear, I'm not doin' this!" shouted Sazh.

"Hang on!" warned Snow, as almost everyone was sent to the floor.

The ship flew forward, as the Proudclad flew backwards. It fired its lasers and missiles, while the Menrva fired its gun turret. A few bullets managed to penetrate the PSICOM fighter.

Suddenly, the Menrva shook to the side, as something collided with it. The group looked to the right, to see Gaylor Leunam's damaged Aerial Unit: OMEGA. **"Missed me?"**

"Not even close," muttered Fang.

Rosch looked on from his monitor. "Gaylor, get out of the way!"

Gaylor glared at the Proudclad. "Rosch! Mind your own business!"

The Menrva pushed the OMEGA to the side, and blasted ahead of it.** "No you don't!"** The Proudclad continued to fire its aresenal at the l'Cie ship, as the OMEGA upwards. It sent its missiles flying towards the Menrva, which swiftly avoided them left and right. The ship then zoomed past the Proudclad.

It zoomed upward to avoided the oncoming ship. Both it and the OMEGA flew side by side. _"Gaylor! Fire your weapons!"_

**"Don't tell me what to do!" **Both fighters fired missiles and lasers towards the Menrva.

Sazh looked over his shoulders, and saw the oncoming projectiles. "AH SHIT!"

The Menrva was blasted by the attacks, which covered it with smoke. Gaylor grinned to himself with satisfaction when it began to fall downwards. His enemies were finally destroyed. However, it disappeared when he saw it flying upwards again. It emerged from the smoke, covered with a green crystal shield.

"The hell kind of ship is this? Stupid thing's fighting on its own!" exclaimed Sazh. He slammed his fist on the wheel.

The Menrva did a U-Loop, and flew toward the two ships. It fired its gun at the fighters, forcing them to maneuver their ships to different directions. The l'Cie ship zoomed past them, but Gaylor followed close behind.

"Think you're so clever, huh? Well, I'm smarter!" He continued to chase them all the way back to the Skyfleet. Menrva swooped left and right, to avoid the oncoming gunfire. Gaylor then pressed a button that activated a scope next to his only eye. While this happened, the Menrva covered itself in a yellow barrier.

Gaylor locked onto the Menrva, and begun to charge the laser. His hand hovered over the trigger, waiting for it to fully charge. Suddenly, the Menrva flew straight into a ship, but surprisingly did not crash into it. It phased right through it.

Startled by the sudden move, Gaylor quickly controlled the OMEGA to move upward. The ship flew across the flagship, intending to intercept the fugitive cruiser. "There's no escape..." When he reached the end, he expected to see the ship flying out of it. But despite his guess, it didn't.

"What the-" was all he could say, before his ship began jerking. He looked up, and saw the horrible sight of the Menrva firing at the OMEGA with all of its power.

One of the bullets managed to hit the engine, and Gaylor finally lost control of his ship. He tried with as much effort to gain control, but it was pointless. He was so caught up in his situation, that he did not notice the oncoming flagship.

**"AAAAGGGHH!"**

The OMEGA crashed head-first onto the other flagship, skidding along as it did so. The cockpit was were the real damage was. Gaylor's bloodied persona passed out from the pain.

"I think I like this ship now," muttered Nero.

"Sazh, can't we do something to get this thing under control?" called Hope.

Sazh held tight to the controls. "You got me there, son! I already gave up."

-Palamecia Hangar Bay-

Somar Leunam tried desperately to turn on the cruiser, but had no results.

Hollow stood there silently, when its head cocked to the right. He quickly took out its laser katana, but it was kicked out of his hand. Hollow was blasted to the wall. The katana was then impaled through his hands, and chest. Despite this, the soldier took it as if nothing had happened.

Somar turned around, and had a blade, right up to his neck. His eyes widened with shock at his owner. "V- Vergil... The rogue l'Cie!" Vergil was about to finish him off, but the old man raised his hands. "W- wait, wait! Please, my boy. Don't kill me!"

"You are of no consequence to me. Therefore, your life means nothing." He raised his arm, but the man said something.

"You seek to free yourself, yes?" This caused Vergil to stop his swing. "I- What if I told you that I can help you?"

"The last man who told me that, and lied, is dead." He began to start his swing, but the old man spoke again.

"I know of a Pulsian vault!" Vergil glared at him. "I- I know of a Pulsian ark in Eden. I alone know of its existence. I can take you there. A Pulsian l'Cie did removed his mark once. Maybe it tells of how he did it!"

Vergil kept his gaze at the man. "That does not concern me. This world will be destroyed in moments. Keeping you alive would be meaningless."

"B- But what if you're wrong?" cried Somar. "There is no certainty that Cocoon will fall if Eden is destroyed. It is not certain if Eden will be destroyed by this ship!"

Vergil was still silent. The planet would fall. Be it today or another, it would fall. However, Dante had a miraculous way of keeping his word. If there was a chance that Cocoon would be saved, then he would be without a plan. And here, a new one presented itself.

"Very well," he stated, sheathing Yamato. He walked up to the soldier, and pulled out the katana. "However, if this planet falls, so shall you... Fly this ship."

-Palamecia Exterior-

Dante was sprinting down the Starboard Weather Deck, when an intercom was heard.

**"PALAMECIA WILL REACH THE POINT OF NO RETURN, IN T-MINUS THREE MINUTES! REPEAT: **PALAMECIA WILL REACH THE POINT OF NO RETURN, IN T-MINUS THREE MINUTES!"****

Dante cursed to himself. At his current state, especially with the huge gash in his stomach, running would be slower for him. But luckily, he still had a plan.

He Devil Triggered instantly, and activated his Speed ability. In merely a few steps, he dashed forward in incredible speed. He left a trail of dust behind him as he moved.

Suddenly, spells were being fired at him. He looked forward to see multiple Vespid Soldiers, blasting spells at him.

He assumed that the soldiers had control over them, but with the situation at hand, they must have broken free.

**"PALAMECIA WILL REACH THE POINT OF NO RETURN, IN T-MINUS ONE MINUTE, AND THIRTY SECONDS!"**

**"Shit..."**

Dante quickly took out Ebony and Ivory, and fired torrents of bullets at the insectoids. His arms and legs were covered in green light, as he equipped the Gilgamesh.

The saws on his legs began spinning wildly, and then implanted themselves on the floor. This caused Dante to utilize them as skates.

He zoomed past the bodies of the Vespid Soldiers, only to encounter more. Knowing the short time limit he had, however, Dante decided to put them to better use. He jumped over them, and landed on top of one. Crouching as he landed, he jumped off of the creature, and landed on the neck of the ship. When he landed, he sped off again towards the nose.

**"PALAMECIA WILL REACH THE POINT OF NO RETURN, IN T-MINUS** THIRTY SECONDS!"****

****"DAMNIT!" ****shouted Dante.

Thinking quickly, he jumped into the air, and used an Air Hike. His gauntlets then propelled him higher with the demonic jets.

A bright red light could be seen flying on top of the damaged flagship.

Dante dove downwards toward the Pilot Bridge. However, he gasped when he saw the multiple Vespid Soldiers shooting at him with their Ruin blasts.

**"PALAMECIA WILL REACH THE POINT OF NO RETURN, IN T-MINUS TEN SECONDS!"**

Dante took out Rebellion, and began swatting the Ruins to the side.

**"NINE. EIGHT. SEVEN."**

Dante moved left and right, as the spells zoomed past him.

**"SIX. FIVE. FOUR." **

Dante was close. He was nearly there. Unfortunately, a Ruin hit his shoulder. After this caught him off guard, he was then met with multiple more Ruins that pushed him upwards.

**"THREE. TWO. ONE... POINT OF NO RETURN REACHED! COLLISION COURSE WITH EDEN IMMINENT!"**

-The Menrva-

The entire group stood around the ship, minding their own business, when a voice was heard on the communicator.

**"Attention all Skyfleet vessels! The Palamecia is still active. I repeat! The Palamecia is still active! We have confirmation that it is in its self-destruct sequence! However, it is still operational, and it is flying straight towards the city... OH NO! IT'S PASSED THE POINT OF NO RETURN!"**

Hearing this, Lightning stood up. "Wait... If it's still operational, and in self-destruct... This is bad!"

"W- What do you mean?" asked Vanille.

Sazh glanced at her. "If that ship crashes into Eden, and blows up... It'll be bye-bye, Cocoon."

This caused everyone to gasp.

Nero clenched his fist. "Boss... Get the hell outta there..."

-Eden-

Millions of citizens looked up at the sky. Nearby, the damaged Palamecia was flying towards them. In fifteen minutes, it would crash into the city.

The sounds screaming and cries were heard all over the city.

-Palamecia Exterior-

Dante looked forward, even as the Ruin blasts were hitting him. He could hear the cries of men, women, and children from where he was.

He would not stand for it. Millions of innocent lives were at stake.

He let out a sigh. It was time to save the world again.

He then enveloped himself in demonic aura, and used the jets of Gilgamesh to dive forward. He swatted away the multiple oncoming Ruins to the sides. Each spell was sent flying backwards towards its sender. Various Vespid Soldiers cried out in pain as they were killed.

The Stylish Devil did a three-sixty spin, and cocked his fist backwards.

**"HAAAAAAAGGGGHHHH!" **he cried as his fist made contact with the metal exterior of the Palamecia. A huge explosion went off in that area, leaving behind a huge hole.

-The Menrva-

The l'Cie were up to the control area, listening in on the conversations on the communicator.

_"This is Colonel Yaag Rosch. What measures are being taken?" _

_"The entire city has been notified! However, impact with the city is inevitable!"_

_"Can't we attempt to shoot it down?" _

_"We don't have enough ships to do that. It is already too close to the city!"_

Another transmission came in._ "Attention all units! This is Captain Nuada, of the Airship Strahl, flagship of the Eden Security Regiment. We have just been notified of the oncoming threat! The Palamecia is armed with an explosive reactor. Should it crash and detonate, it could very well mean the end of our civilization! Therefore, we plan to crash the Strahl onto the Palamecia. I advise all Sanctum Skyfleet airships to not interfere. This is the only way!"_

Suddenly, a new voice was heard. _"My, my. Aren't we ready to give away our lives today?"_

Every instantly glanced at each other. They knew the owner of the voice.

"It's... It's Dante!" shouted Snow.

"_What the- Who is this?"_ demanded the voice of Rosch.

_"This is Dante Sparda. The guy you went and locked up for "treason.""_

_"Wha... YOU! You're the one who aided the fugitive l'Cie! Are you content with what you and your cohorts have done?"_

_"For your information, jackass, those guys had nothin' to do with what's going on, as well as yours truly. Believe it or not, we're the good guys."_

_"Where are you? How did you access this frequency?"_

_"Was already tuned in when I got here. I'm in the Northern Bridge, or something."_

_"What are you doing there? Are you the one steering the Palamecia to Eden?"_

_"Again, you accuse me of stuff that never even crossed my mind! Yeesh. Take it easy with the conspiracy theories, Jesse Ventura."_

_"Then what is your business there? What are you doing in the Bridge?"_

_"I was overhearing your conversation about how you were going to crash ships into this here ticking time-bomb. Then, a better idea hit me. This ship is flying towards the city, right? I'd say that in about three minutes, or so, the ship will crash into the city. Well, I'm at the steering wheel now. I'm gonna steer this thing outta way. Now, I'm no physics expert, but the only damage you'll probably receive, is from that huge green shield I see. I'm capable of flying a ship, so by the time this thing blows up, I'll be far away from the city. That way, no lives will be sacrificed, and your world is saved."_

The group gasped, after hearing this.

Nero had an expression of worry on his face. "Sazh, try to patch us into the frequency!"

"You've got it," replied the afro man, as he went to work.

-The Proudclad-

Rosch was silent, pondering to himself. "After all you have done, why would you go out of your way to save us?"

_"Like I said before. I'm one of the good guys... Out."_

Rosch heard the transmission cut off.

-The Menrva-

"Just a little... There! I've found the frequency!" announced Sazh.

"Patch us through," ordered Nero. A little static was heard, before speaking again. "Boss! Boss! It's Nero!"

_"Hey, kid! What's up?"_ asked Dante. _"I see you guys got away safely."_

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" he shouted.

-The Palamecia-

The Palamecia was flying fast towards Eden, smoke following close behind.

**"WARNING! EXTREME IMPAIRMENT! SELF-DESTRUCT SEQUENCE IN TWO MIN-"**

A bullet pierced the intercom. "Shaddup! I hate it when people pressure me!"

_"What the hell do you think you're doing?"_

"What's it look like, kid? I'm making sure this thing flies away from the city!"

-The Menrva-

"That thing's set to blow up any minute know! Where the hell are you going to be when it does?"

_"Right here, kid. Someone's gotta make sure this thing doesn't kill anybody."_

The boy turned to Sazh. "Get control of this thing! We're flying after him.

_"NO!"_ interjected Dante. _"All of you, back off! I have to do this kid! Or else this planet's screwed!"_

"But what about you?, huh? You'll be caught up in the blast!"

_"C'mon, kid,"_ brushed off Dante. _"You really think a plane crash is enough to kill me? I've survived worse-"_

"And what if you don't, huh?" interjected Nero. "What if, by some misfortune, you're not lucky? What if you die?"

The other side was silent._ "... Well... Then I guess I'm going out with style."_

Nero's eyes widened with horror. "Dante! YOU CAN'T DIE!"

They could hear the man slamming his fists on the controls. _"I SAID BACK OFF!"_

"Boss... You can't..."

Dante gave out a loud sigh.

_"Listen... Kid... Don't worry about me. I'm not what matters right now. What does matter, is that you guys save this world. Judging from what Vergil said, this ain't gonna be the only time this world's gonna be in danger."_

_"You guys have the power to change this world. These people don't know what's really goin' on. It's up t__o all of you to make the people wake up. To see the truth."_

Tears slid down Vanille's cheeks, as every word was said. _"Hey, Vanille. If you can hear me... I'm sorry about bailing on you guys like this. Do me a favor, yeah? Do exactly what I told you to do... And keep on smiling. That's a morale booster you'll want to keep around."_

_"Hey Sazh, my man," _he called. _"You always seem to get everyone on track. You're the voice of reason, Sazhy. Keep doing that, and I'm sure the day you see your son will be one step closer. I can guarantee it." _Sazh let out a frustrated growl. He had barely known the Son of Sparda for a few days, and despite him tricking the pilot to do it, he already came to know him as a friend.

_"As for the rest of you guys... Well I don't know much about you, but I'll say something from what I see."_

_"Snow. I don't know much about you, or your girl. But what I do know, is if you keep that resolve of yours, you'll see her again. Heck, you'll even get your wedding."_

_"Fang... Well, you're a pretty blank page to me. But you are strong. Use that strength to help the others."_

_"Hope. You look like a reasonable runt. Watch out for these guys. That way, you'll learn valuable lessons from these guys."_

_"Lightning. You're strong, focused, and your heart's in the right place. But at first glance, I feel negative vibes comin' from you. Don't close yourself off from the world. You're human. Open up to these guys more. You won't regret it."_

_"And finally... Nero..." _There was silence. "_You and I have been through a lot, eh? I remember fighting you back in Fortuna, a few years ago. You made me sweat, and I kicked your ass. Heheh... Look. I've taught you everything I know. Truthfully, you never really needed me to begin with. You're a great fighter, but you need to find peace with yourself. And there's no guarantee that killing Vergil will do that for you. Peace is something that you need to find on your own... Don't give up on life, kid. Finishing a slice of pizza, doesn't mean you can't go and grab another one. Hehe... And for what it's worth, punk... I'm proud of you..."_

_"Look out for each other. Never go it alone. That's the only way you guys will survive... I believe in you guys. I know you can do it..."_

A small static was heard, followed by silence. _"... Goodbye."_

-The Palamecia-

Dante turned off his communicator, but he could still hear the other side.

_"DANTEEE!" _cried Vanille in tears.

_"Dante, don't do it! Get outta there!"_ called Nero.

_"What the hell are you doin'? Crazy old fool!"_ shouted Sazh.

Regardless, Dante only looked forward. The ship was mere seconds away from impact. The shields were beginning to activate around the city.

He gripped the handles and turned it to the right. The time had come.

"HHHHHHHHHAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!"

The Palamecia broke into the side of the shield, breaking through as if it were glass. The right engine of the flagship caught on fire, as the energy entered the turbines. The window of the ship broke apart from the impact.

Dante stumbled forward before falling on the floor.

-The Menrva-

The l'Cie looked on in horror at the sight. The Palamecia continued to fly along the shield. Finally, the flagship flew out of the shield, and away from Eden.

The ship then jerked, forcing everyone to briefly lose their balance. The cruiser flew towards Eden, and zoomed past the opening of the shield.

The group quickly got on their feet. They joined the hundreds of citizens below, and gazed at the burning Palamecia, flying away from the city.

-The Palamecia-

**"SHIP WILL SELF-DESTRUCT IN T-MINUS TEN SECONDS."**

Dante crawled towards the controls, and leaned on it with his back.

**"NINE. EIGHT. SEVEN."**

His face was covered in blood. He groaned in pain as he pulled out a glass shard from his shoulder.

**"SIX. FIVE. FOUR."**

"It's all up to you kid... You can do it..." He then leaned backwards, a smile planted on his face.

**"THREE. TWO. ONE."**

-The Menrva-

A bright blinded everyone, and covered the sky. When it subsided, there was only the huge ball of fire that was the Palamecia.

Vanille broke into tears, as Fang hugged her.

Snow clenched his fists, and slammed them against the wall.

Hope's arms fell limp, as his gaze fell to the floor.

The baby chocobo chirped sadly as it fluttered. Sazh planted his hands on his face in both shock and sadness.

Lightning's hand covered her mouth. For the first time in a long time, she had an expression of someone who was horrified.

Then, almost simultaneously, everyone looked at Nero.

He merely stood there, gazing at the sight. His face was a mixture of confusion and horror. Slowly, he walked backwards onto the nearby seat, and sat down.

Fang finally let Vanille go. The girl wiped her tears, but more came. This did not stop her from noticing what they were flying towards. "SAZH, LOOK OUT!" she cried.

Sazh looked forward, to see the horrifying sight of an oncoming building. Everyone, save for Nero, screamed as they headed towards it.

The Menrva then covered itself with yellow aura, and phased inside.

-Somar's Ship-

Vergil stood there, his gaze unflinching at where the Palamecia once was.

"There, you see?" said Somar. "This world will not fall today. It's rather predictable, really-" He flinched when he heard a click.

"Stay quiet, and fly to where you spoke of," ordered Vergil.

Somar let out an uneasy chuckle, as he and Hollow worked the controls.

Vergil still stood there, before walking to the back left seat of the cockpit, and sat down. He looked outside the window, where the pieces of the flagship fell to the earth below.

He looked away, and closed his eyes.

A single tear slid down his cheek.

-The Fifth Ark-

The group emerged from the ship, and onto the new area. Strangely, the place looked rather familiar.

"Where are we?" asked Lightning.

Her eyes still somewhat watery, Vanille spoke up. "This place... It looks like it's from Pulse. Like a piece of it."

"A piece of Pulse?" asked Sazh. "What, you mean, like the Vestige in Bodhum? Hmph. A piece of Pulse, this close to Eden. Imagine that."

Nero emerged from the ship, but said nothing.

"Yeah, well see, what I don't get is, after the whole Purge and l'Cie paranoia business, why would they bother keeping this place under the floorboards? I thought Cocoon hated Pulse?" expressed Fang.

Hope put a hand to his chin. "Maybe... That Primarch wanted us to see this?"

"A place for l'Cie to accept their fate," Lightning muttered.

The Palumpolum boy then asked the question at hand. "Do you guys think Dysley was telling the truth? You know... About our Focus."

"About... Becoming Ragnarok?" asked Vanille.

"Destroy the fal'Cie, Eden, and shatter Cocoon," said Sazh. "That's what that vision showed us, more or less." He let out a heavy sigh. "I guess that means we're back to square one. Out of luck."

Vanille looked to her right, and saw Snow leaning his back against the wall. "Hello? Mr. Hero! Cocoon calling Snow!" she called.

Snow gave no response, surprisingly, and stared at the distance. Vanille then huffed in response.

"You know," started Hope, "it looked as if he wanted us to do it. Like he wants Cocoon destroyed."

Sazh turned to him. "Yep, looks that why. Didn't waste anytime explainin' it too. "Here's your Focus on a silver platter.""

"But... It doesn't make sense. Why would a Cocoon fal'Cie want Cocoon to be destroyed?" asked Vanille.

""Bringing back their God..." How though?" asked Sazh.

"Maybe it's a fal'Cie thing, y'know?" suggested Hope. "Like some grand design that we have no understanding of."

Fang glanced at Snow, still silent. "Hey! Nothing from you, Snow?" She was met with no response.

"This is fucking ridiculous," muttered Nero. The talkative group glanced at him. He then walked away from them, not even muttering a word.

"So uh... I guess we go this way?" suggested Sazh.

Lightning looked onward, at the heartbroken half-devil. 'Nero...'

Ch. 24: Where to Go from Here

Still grieving over the loss of his mentor, Nero receives something that strengthens his resolve once again. Exploring the Ark, the l'Cie face many challenges, from a Sanctum l'Cie to an Eidolon. Despite all of this, the group is encouraged by Dante's sacrifice, and plan for the future. On where their next destination will lead them.

**Very sad. Dante is gone for good... Or is he?**

**The "IT" moment was when the Palamecia exploded.**

**I have an announcement. I plan on making a different fic. A crossover of Asura's Wrath, and Street Fighter X Tekken. Why? The fights, the chicks, the EPICNESS!**

**Not sure when I'll start, but it will be after this fic is finished. Question: What do you categorize SFxT? Game X-Overs, or does it have its own section.**

**Anyway, will write soon. AND READ AND REVIEW!**


	25. Where to Go from Here

**Capcom and Square-Enix owns DMC and FFXIII respectively. AN: Yeeaahh... Remember When I said I would not start working on the Asura's Wrath story until after this one? Sorry, I couldn't help it. I did the chapter a while ago, so sorry. But I told myself I wouldn't upload it until I wrote this chapter. Plus, I think it will be enough to hook you guys in. You can also blame the fact that my computer crashed on me for a while. So anyway, enjoy the new chapter. **

The Fifth Ark- Where to Go from Here

-The Fifth Ark-

Snow sat down against the wall in the corridor. Many thoughts were going through his mind. The words of the Primarch echoed thorough his head.

_'That girl did nothing, but assemble the tools needed for Cocoon's destruction.'_

'Serah... So gathering tools of destruction turned you into crystal... You really were an enemy of Cocoon. Just like the rest of us... I had it wrong. Totally wrong.'

"Hey. You alright?"

Snow looked up to see his fiancée's sister, Lightning. "Light... I, uh... I've got to apologize. I guess I was wrong..."

"About Serah's Focus?" she asked. "Strange. It's not like you to second-guess yourself.

Snow scratched his head. "Yeah, well... I guess even heroes make mistakes..."

Lightning examined the hero. He was now a far cry from his usual self. And it was sad to watch.

"But what about your plan to save Cocoon?" she asked. He remained silent. "Either way, your faith in Serah was strong. And that strength allowed you to come this far."

"But... But it was all wrong," he countered.

"Yeah. You tried so hard to convince us, that you ended up fooling yourself!" she admitted. "But still... It saved me. That faith? Let it drive you forward. Heh. It even made me want to believe."

With that she walked forward. The man stared at her, before standing up and walking after her. Reaching for his pocket, he pulled out the crystal tear that belonged to his loved one.

"Serah... Talk to me, baby..."

He walked past Lightning, who waited for Vanille. The girl closely examined her surroundings.

"This place can't be... I mean, those were just legends, right?"

"I want to say that we're close to Eden," replied the soldier. "But now, It's hard to be sure..."

Both women stopped, when they saw who was in front of them. Leaning on the wall, with eyes glued to the ground, was their friend Nero. From first glance, they could tell that he was still troubled by what had happened.

"Hey... You alright?" asked Lightning.

Nero glanced up at her, but looked back at the floor.

Lightning truly did not know what to say. She was not an expert in this situation. "Look... Me and Vanille are going with the others. We'll leave when you get back... Take your time..."

She indicated the girl to follow her, but stopped when he spoke up.

"It's not fair." Both girls turned to him. "It wasn't fair... No one told him to do it... He did it for us... But he didn't have to!"

"Nero... He gave his life because of us," explained Lightning. "He did it so that we could have the chance to save Cocoon. To save you."

"AND THAT'S WHAT PISSES ME OFF!" he shouted, as his Bringer punched the wall, leaving a dent in it. "I... I hate it! I hate when people have to die for me! I hate knowing how I could have done something! It was within my power, too! I could've stopped him! I could have... I could have..."

He paused. "First my foster parents. Then Credo. And..." He gulped loudly. "And now..."

Vanille looked on at her friend's despair. Suddenly, she remembered what the man had told her to do.

She reached for her pocket, and patted Nero's shoulder. He looked over his shoulder, and gasped. In her hands, was a silver covered necklace, with a red amulet.

Nero knew what it was. "This... This is Dante's!" His eyes met the girl's. "Where- Where did you get this?"

-Palamecia, One Hour Earlier-

_"Well whaddya know? The kid got himself a new Devil Trigger," observed Dante._

_As the Garuda flew towards the bridge, Dante tapped Vanille's shoulder. When she turned around, a small trinket landed in her lap._

_"Huh?" She examined it closely. It looked exactly like the necklace Nero had, but was colored silver._

_"You mind doin' me a favor?" he asked. "When this is over, give this to the kid, yeah? And if he complains, tell him that "the boss said so.""_

-The Fifth Ark-

Nero's eyes had widened like saucers. "But... Why? Why would he..."

The Pulsian girl closed her eyes. "I'm not sure... But for some reason... I think he would have given it to you anyway."

"Huh?" he said. "Why would you think that?"

"Because you were his student," she responded. "Usually, when a pupil finishes his training, his master gives him a sort of symbol or object that verifies that the student completed his studies."

Nero then thought to himself. What she was trying to say was that he had learned everything that he needed to learn from the man, and receiving the Amulet was his sign of showing it.

"You... You son of a bitch... You knew what was going to happen... And went along with it... You fucking idiot!"

Nero punched the wall again, nearly breaking through the wall. He remained silent after.

"Listen, Nero..." He turned to the pig-tailed girl. He... Dante... He told me and Sazh about what happened... About why you hate Vergil..."

Nero's eyes were as wide as saucers. He slowly turned to the girl, with a very shocked expression.

"I- I won't say anything. I know it's not my place to say... I will wait until you're ready to speak about it..."

Nero then heard sniffling. "I... I just wanted to say... I miss him too. Although he had his moments, Dante was indeed a good friend... You've been through so much... And it wasn't fair. For someone as kind and honest as you to go through that suffering."

She then began to cry. "And I just wanted to say... I'm so sorry!"

Nero stared at the girl as she cried her heart out. For some reason, he felt guilty. Because in some strange and complicated way, it was his fault that she began to cry. And if there was one thing he swore to never do, it was to make a girl cry.

He knelt, and hugged her. "It's alright... Don't cry... Please." He put his hands on her shoulders to make her face him. "C'mon. I don't wanna explain to Fang why you're like this."

The girl wiped her eyes, and looked at the man, who surprisingly gave her a smile. "Look, Vanille. Remember what Dante told you. Keep smiling. That way, the rest of us can keep on going. So don't cry... Smile."

Vanille sniffled once more, before nodding at him with a smile.

"Go catch up with Fang and the others. I'll be there in a sec."

The girl did as was told, and got up. She walked up the stairs, past Lightning, smiling as she did so.

"You alright?" asked Nero.

Lightning turned to him with a confused expression. "Me? I'm the one who should be asking you that question."

"You heard what that old coot said. About your sister's Focus... I mean, how do you feel?"

Lightning thought about how to answer that question. "Well... I guess... It's true. That was her Focus. Or at least what Barthandelus wanted her to do. She didn't know, so I can't really hold her responsible."

"I see..." replied the half-devil. "I don't know... It just makes me wonder. What now? I feel... I feel lost..."

He then felt a hand on his shoulder. Nero looked to his left, to see the soldier giving a look that was both serious and friendly. "Nero... You're not giving up, are you?"

He looked away, and shrugged. "I don't know... Maybe."

Lightning let out a sigh, had her back facing him. "A few days ago, I felt exactly what you're feeling now. Anger. Hate. Confusion. Hopelessness. I nearly succumbed to my despair." She then turned to face him. "But it was you, Snow, and the others that convinced me that it wasn't over. That there was still something left. Fang and Vanille are living proof that Serah can come back... That's enough for me to continue going."

The nephew of Dante Sparda finally met with the girl's eyes. "It may seem hopeless, now. But if you keep going, you're bound to find what you're looking for."

Nero raised his eyebrow. "And what exactly am I looking for?"

She closed her fist, and pounded it on the left side of Nero's chest. "Something worth living for." With that, her arm pulled back, and she walked up the stairs.

Nero gazed at Lightning as she walked away. His eyes then found their way to the trinket in his hand. He could see his reflection in the jewel.

"Something worth living for, huh?"

-Vestibular Hold-

Nero made it up the steps. The others turned to see him, while Hope and Sazh walked up to him.

"Hey. Are you alright?" asked Hope.

Nero looked down at him, with a weak smile. "No. I'm still a little overwhelmed. But I'll get over it."

"Hey. If it means anything, Dante was a good friend. He was crazy, but good crazy," said Sazh.

Nero couldn't help but chuckle. "Thanks, guys. I appreciate it."

The entire group examined their surroundings. "Man, it feels like Bodhum all over again," muttered Nero.

"I can't believe that this place is under Eden. Are we even in Cocoon anymore?" asked Hope.

"I gotta agree with you there, kid. The likeness of the place from the one in Bodhum is kinda creepy," added Sazh.

The group continued to walk forward. Suddenly, the floor beneath them began to glow red, until it illuminated with the symbol of the Pulse l'Cie mark.

Nero was caught off-guard by the event, but was then occupied with another problem. Out of seemingly nowhere, he felt pain in his right bicep. On his l'Cie mark.

He clutched his arm in pain, clenching his teeth as it happened. He managed to look up, and saw that the others were holding onto where their respective l'Cie marks were placed.

A full twenty seconds had passed, when the pain stopped. Nero let out deep sighs, and flexed his Bringer, seeing if the pain had caused any after-effects.

Everyone glanced at each other, trying to see if anyone was hurt.

"Everyone alright?" asked Fang.

Before anyone could answer, a loud hissing sound was heard. All around them, large pillars had hatches that opened. Out of the capsules came two bipedal robots covered in silver metal, and large left claws. Their heads had the shape of hammers.

The group quickly got their weapons, and readied their magic. Hope, Vanille, Sazh, and Nero sent spells toward the two Pulsework Knights. Lightning, Fang, and Snow attacked the duo directly, dodging the swipes of their claws. After a barrage of magic, the respective torso of the Knights popped up, revealing a blue electric source of energy. With quick speed, Lightning and Fang both sliced the two Knights through the middle, cutting them off from their energy supply and shutting them down.

The group took a quick breather, before continuing on. Vanille went ahead, and scouted the area. The chamber was large, and empty. Many more capsules pillar covered the floor. Familiarity to the architecture instantly made her realize where she was.

"This place... There's no doubting it. It must be an Ark!" she deduced.

Lightning glanced at her. "An Ark?"

"Yep. It's the real thing," answered Fang. "An Ark. That's what they called 'em back home."

"Long ago," began Vanille, "the fal'Cie that made their home on Gran Pulse feared an invasion from the outside. An attack from Cocoon. As part of their battle preparations, they created an army of living weapons."

"Those machine soldiers back there," observed Hope.

Vanille nodded. "The fal'Cie stored those weapons into special Vestiges that were labeled "Arks." They hid those Arks all over the world."

"They became a famous legend on Gran Pulse, and everyone knew about it," added Fang.

"So they're like... special Pulsian armories?" asked Lightning.

Fang nodded. "Most of us never really believed in 'em. Some people tried looking for them, but came up with nothing" She let out a small laugh. "Who'd have thought to look on Cocoon?"

Sazh muttered in disbelief. "Right underneath our noses. That's some big secret they kept. Those Sanctum guys, just what the hell are they up to-"

Vanille interrupted him. "The story isn't finished. There's more!"

Fang turned to them. "It was said that these things had a more practical use."

The entire group had their eyes on her.

"Huh. Is that right?" said Lightning.

The Huntress smirked. "Yeah." She paused for dramatic effect. "They were made to force l'Cie to master their shiny new powers."

Hearing this, four of the five Cocoon natives gasped. One of them, began a small laugh.

The entire grouped looked at Nero, who was shaking his head. "Alright, alright... I get it now. So that jackass of an old coot wants to make us into better weapons."

"Not Cie'th, but monsters all the same," added Sazh, as he shook his head.

Lightning crossed her arms. "At least we now know that Dysley's serious."

"Hey, it can't be all bad," suggested Hope. "I mean, it could be good for us too. Y'know, like training for the fight ahead."

Hearing this, Vanille perked up. "Hope's right! That way, we'll be ready for Dysley's tricks and whatever else lies ahead!"

When he heard the end of the girl's sentence, only one name came to Nero's mind. 'Vergil.'

Suddenly, the hissing sound was heard again. The group turned around to see more Pulsework Knights emerging from their capsules. But this time, there were ten of them outnumbering the seven.

"These guys, again!" shouted Snow.

"What do we do?" asked Sazh hurriedly. "We can barely take on two, let alone ten!"

Hope looked over his shoulder. More monsters were there, but there was a gap they could run across. "Over there! We've got keep moving!"

"In other words, RUN FOR YOUR LIFE!" shouted Vanille.

The group stepped backwards, before dashing away. They went down the stairs to be in a large space, with Knights and floating monsters. Nero took notice of the creature, and realized that it resembled those Bombs he fought back at the Vile Peaks. They were very flammable.

Thinking quickly, he used his Snatch ability to grab onto the Circuitron. Holding it under his left armpit, snapped the fingers on his right hand, until a small flame hovered over his thumb.

Grinning, he jabbed his thumb into the Circuitron, until it began to glow ominously. Knowing what would happen next, he threw it up, and did a backflip kick to the Circuitron, sending it flying away like a soccer ball. The creature was inches away from the group of Knights, when it detonated. The l'Cie, however, did not look on to see the results.

The group made it down the stairs into a small passage. Lightning looked back at the opening for a minute, until her fears were not confirmed.

"It's alright we're clear."

Hope tugged on Nero's coat. "How'd you do that? That thing with the fire."

"Oh that? That was me using magic, kid," answered Nero. "Although, I guess I can use it differently."

"How so?" asked Vanille.

"Well, it's mainly because of my Bringer," he answered. "You see, my mark's right above my Bringer. The thing itself is made of demonic energy. Therefore, the magical and demonic energies combine to form an easy conduit for the magic to channel through. In other words, its like I said. Being a half-demon has its perks."

"Like what?"

"Like-" He stopped when he heard something. It was rather familiar. It was soft. It was slow. It was... Squishy. "Super hearing."

Nero quickly bolted down the tunnel, forcing the others to follow suit. The group stopped when they saw him standing in a flight of stairs.

"Oh, you've gotta be fuckin' kidding me!"

Fang walked beside him, and glanced at what he was staring at. She thought it had to be a joke.

"Phosphoric Oozes and Noctilucates? What's so scary about them?"

"It's not the snails, it's those stupid Flans! I HATE FLANS!"

"Again, they're Phosphoric Oozes. And those things are nothin'!" exclaimed Fang. "That handgun can take 'em out, easy!"

Hearing this, the devil hunter snapped at the soldier. "You. Gun. Now!"

Lightning gave him a haughty look. "You truly expect me to just giv-"

"NOW!"

Sighing, she tossed her Blazefire Saber to him. When he got it, he quickly took out Blue Rose, and began firing at his foes. Bullets left behind trails of ooze as the pierced through their skin. After about two minutes of loud gunshots, they were no more.

Nero tossed the gun back to Lightning, and put Blue Rose back in its holster. "LET'S GO!"

"Y'know, if I didn't know any better, I'd say that you were afraid of those things," Fang remarked.

"I ain't afraid of those things! I just don't like it when they get on my coat!" retorted Nero.

Hope whispered to Vanille's ear. "He called them walking pieces of shit."

Nero then smacked Hope's forehead. "What'd I say about cussing?"

"Wha- How did-"

"Super hearing, remember?"

Hope groaned to himself.

"Nero, you need to ease up on the cussing, too," lectured Sazh.

"Whatever."

The group continued down the tunnels, even making it to a large chamber, with a steep crevasse below. They crossed walkways and tunnels, until making it into a large room. Four statues of mechanical centaurs with red light were there.

"These things... They look alive," observed Sazh.

The group had walked past the statues, and were at the opposite side of the room.

"What is the Sanctum planning? War?" wondered Lightning.

Before anyone could answer, a large grating sound was heard. The seven l'Cie looked on to notice that the four statues, Berserkers, were looking at them.

"RUN!" shouted Snow.

The group dashed towards the door. Nero continued pressing on the panel until door closed.

Sighing, he walked back to the group, as Hope started the elevator they were standing on.

"Man. Be it Sanctum or Pulsian, everyone wants to kill us," Nero muttered darkly.

After going through more tunnels, and more Oozes, they found a large chamber that looked like a large sewer. The group carefully walked through the catwalks. It was there, that a thought came across Nero.

"Hey, guys... I just remembered something." They all looked at him. "Didn't Raines say he was gonna give us backup?"

"Yeah," answered Snow. "He said when the Skyfleet got done with surveillance, that they would be done."

"But he never came," said Lightning. "And I don't remember seeing the Lindblum when the Palamecia was on its collision course."

Nero looked at his Bringer. "I know now may be too late to say it... But I didn't trust Raines the moment I laid eyes on him."

"So what? It's not like it matters anymore," assured Hope.

"But there was something else... When we were around him... My Bringer went off."

"Your Bringer went off?" asked Fang.

"My arm. I didn't really pay attention to it, seeing as how saving Sazh, Vanille, and the Boss was the priority... But the feeling was different. It felt..."

He stopped. The entire group stopped when they noticed who was standing before them. "You..."

Cid Raines walked forward, not taking his eyes off of the group. Sazh and Vanille took a step backwards seeing this.

"Don't worry, guys. This is Raines. He's the guy who helped us out," explained Snow.

Fang glared at the officer with venom. "Why are you here?"

She received no answer.

In a split second, Lightning rushed towards him. "Raines! YOU TRAITOR!"

She swung vertically at him, but he sidestepped to avoid her. She was somewhat surprised at his speed, but went back on the attack. She attacked left and right, but he merely swatted them to the side with his hand. When he saw the opening, he grabbed her sword, and tossed her to the ground. This caused her gunblade to fly upwards.

As she fell, Nero jumped over her, and ran towards Raines. Left and right, he sent jabs, and backhands, but the officer easily dodged them.

"Sending backup, huh? You're just like those grunts from PSICOM!"

He swung his Bringer at him, but Raines sidestepped and caught it. Nero tried pulling it back, but the Brigadier General had a tough grip. Raines then let go of the arm, and planted his hand on the half-devil's chest. Next thing he knew, Nero was flying backwards due to the force of the Ruin blast. He skidded on the ground, but jumped from it to regain his footing. The others quickly stood next to him.

"That blast... That was magic!" he observed.

The Blazefire Saber fell in Cid's hands, and he pointed it to them. "I put you all on the path. That was my Focus."

The group gasped, as Nero helped Lightning up. "You're a l'Cie?" asked Fang.

"Since long before we met," revealed Cid. "I did my best to aid you, as bid by the Sanctum fal'Cie."

Nero looked at his Bringer. It was going off. "So your l'Cie mark was what I felt. I should have known."

"Now do you understand? The fal'Cie have watched over you, guiding your every step. The "bit of luck" that has saved you time and again, was nothing more than the machinations of the Cocoon fal'Cie. Everything was planned, save for the arrival of the youngest Son of Sparda."

Nero sighed in relief. If Dante's death was planned, there would have been hell to pay. Snow, however, looked at the ground in sadness.

"You must be wondering why this is happening. The Primarch, better known as the Cocoon fal'Cie Barthandelus, is shaping each one of you into the tools of this planet's demise."

Fang growled. "All this time, we've been played for fools!"

Sazh walked up. "But he's a Cocoon fal'Cie! Why the hell would he want to destroy his own world?"

Raines raised Lightning's gunblade. "Simple. To restore the Maker."

"The Maker?" asked Hope.

"Your God, right?" asked Nero. Cid nodded at him. "That's just great. Another old coot who wants to use the power of God."

"On the contrary, Barthandelus only wishes to serve it. You see, the Maker is the entity responsible for creating humans, demons, and fal'Cie. The Bringer of All Life."

"Long ago, the Maker left this world, leaving the three races behind. In a strange way, humans, demons, and fal'Cie are brothers. Orphaned by the same parent."

"However, both humans and demons began to war with each other. This caused both races to forget the order imposed by the Maker. Eventually, humans began to fight among themselves, leaving them, in a sense, at the bottom of the food chain. Demonkind merely sought to be at the top of it."

"The fal'Cie, however, mainly focused on recalling their lost deity. They sought to return the universe to its former glory. All of their actions have been done so that this purpose could be fulfilled. In a way, it is the fal'Cie's Focus."

"And to fulfill this Focus, a fitting a sacrifice must be made."

"We've heard," interjected Lightning. "Your fal'Cie leader told us as much. The destruction of Cocoon."

"Correct. The lives of this world's entire populace in a bloody tribute."

He threw the Blazefire Saber at Lightning. She caught it with ease.

"No... Th- That's crazy talk," muttered Sazh.

"But I don't get it," said Hope. "Why do the fal'Cie need us? Couldn't they destroy Cocoon with a mere thought?"

Cid shook his head. "Their existence is bound to the creation and maintenance of this floating shell. Their very nature is what keeps them in check."

"So you're saying... Cocoon fal'Cie can't destroy Cocoon, let alone touch it?" asked Nero. "They need someone else to do it. If you ask me, this makes them sound lazier than they look."

Vanille shook her head, and spoke up. "If doing nothing will stop this tragedy from happening... Then that's what we'll do. Nothing!"

"A noble response. I expected nothing less," praised Raines.

"You... You lied to us," hissed Snow. He clenched his fist. "What happened to your dream, huh? The one about giving Cocoon back to the people? WAS THAT A LIE?"

Cid looked away in shame. "A shadow of a dream... Back when I was human."

'Isn't he still human, in a way?' thought Nero.

"I craved for change. And when I had gained the influence to make things happen, there was change. I managed to gain all the power I could ever hope for. However, by that time, I was a puppet with no will to wield it."

He looked at his hand, as his mark shone with light. "The fal'Cie didn't change... I did."

"So you were made into a l'Cie?" inquired Vanille.

"Yes. A Sanctum l'Cie. Tied to an inescapable Focus... A slave of a destiny made by the fal'Cie. Eventually, I lost hope. I had all but given up on any possibilities of freedom."

"W- What do you mean? What are you getting at, exactly?" asked Sazh.

"I am here of my own accord, not because the fal'Cie ordered it," he revealed. "Seeing all you fight against the fal'Cie's will, despite the consequences... It brought it all back. The future that I once strove for... I, too, will challenge my fate."

His hand began to glow, revealing the current stage of his mark. It then grew brighter, as more components were added to it. It stopped when the full symbol of the Sanctum l'Cie mark appeared on his forehand. He was covered with bright blue aura.

Raines then snapped his hand, causing the Sanctum symbol to appear behind the group. This caused for Vanille, Sazh, and Hope to be cut off from the rest. More began to appear, until they surrounded them. They were trapped.

"If I defeat you all, here and now, the fal'Cie plan will come to an end!"

"We don't have to fight, Cid!" shouted Nero. "You want to stop the fal'Cie as much as we do! You can help us!"

"I'm afraid I cannot do that, Grandson of Sparda," he answered. "A Sanctum l'Cie cannot kill its fal'Cie after being marked. The only way to stop this, is for all of you to meet your ends!"

"Raines!" called Fang "Don't do this!"

He crossed his arms together, as energy emanated from him. "I will use all of my remaining power!"

He threw his arms to the side, and was enveloped in light. When it subsided, his form had changed. His chest had a white Sanctum symbol over it. Most of his entire body was covered in crystal, as well as his hair. Raine's pupils were white. His arm became huge and monstrous. He looked almost like a Cie'th.

**"I SHALL SET YOU FREE!"** he shouted.

Nero let out a sigh, as he and the others got into their fighting stances. "We tried doing this the easy way..."

He and Fang dashed towards Raines, and attacked him. However, Raines had his arms crossed, blocking himself from the attacks.

He then threw his arms to the side, and lunged forward. He attacked both of them with fast kicks that were hard to deflect. Both l'Cie stumbled backwards from the attacks, but Raines sent a backflip kick that sent them flying upwards. He shot Ruinga between the two, and sent them falling hard.

Snow sent a punch towards Cid. "WHY, CID?" He sent a left and a right, followed with a right kick, and slammed his fists on him.

Raines swatted Snow to the side, and sent strong kicks toward him. **"The fal'Cie have no control over me!"**

Lightning fired spells at Raines, and then went to combo him with her blade. Left and right, Raines swatted his arm in the opposite way of the swings. He then pushed her back, by punching her in the gut.

Nero jumped over her, and caught Raines in a punch to the his chest. A Spectral Bringer from the Samurai Avatar followed with a similar punch and sent Cid stumbling backwards.

He planted his foot backwards, and sent his Cie'th Fist at Nero. The devil hunter planted his foot back, and lunged forward. He connected a hook on Raines face, and followed with a jab from his Bringer. The two hits forced Raines to stagger. Fang used the opportunity to attack Raines. Her lance left gashes in his torso, and with a twirl of her lance, swatted him backwards into the barrier.

Volts of magical electricity hit Cid, causing him severe pain. He fell on his knees, clutching his chest in pain. Suddenly, a large wing shot out of his back, followed by another, and another. Raines had grown eight wings on his back.

He flew into the air, and he shone with light.** "My will is my own! AS IS MY STRENGTH!"**

Then, a large blast sent the four l'Cie to the wall, on their knees.

Lightning's hair was swept to the side, as wind pushed against her face. She turned to her right to see that Nero was covered in blue aura, with an angry look in his eyes.

He stood up, and got into a horse stance, and crossed his arms. When he threw them to the side, he Devil Triggered into his True Form.

**"NOW YOU DONE PISSED ME OFF!"**

He lunged toward Cid, and swung for him. He sidestepped the half-devil, and caught his Bringer. Cid slammed Nero onto the floor, and then pummeled his large right fist into Nero's face continuously. Nero then pushed him away with a Spectral Bringer, making him stumble backwards.

The devil hunter then pushed both his fists onto the Brigadier General's torso, followed with two Spectral Bringers.

Raines shot forward with furious kicks, but Nero dodged them. He caught one of Raines' legs, and slammed him on the ground. He then went to pummel his face in with both hands. Using a Spectral Bringer, he uppercut the General.

With a last battle cry, he socked Cid in the face with his Devil Bringer, and Spectral Bringer. Both l'Cie flew towards the barrier. Nero held onto Raines, and pushed him onto the barrier. Millions of painful volts went through him, as Nero held him in place.

He held him there for two minutes, until he decided to let go. Nero walked backwards, as he reverted back into his human form.

The barrier dissolved, as everyone met back with each other.

Cid stumbled forward, gasping in pain as he did so. His legs then failed him, and he fell on his knees.

The group still had their weapons out, but knew that there was no danger.

Lightning slowly sheathed her Blazefire Saber, as she looked at Cid with pity. "Raines..."

He coughed violently. **"Ironic... Isn't it? *cough* The only thing I ever wanted... Was a moment of triumph. How it ends... Doesn't matter."**

**"Just do what you know is right... Trust in yourselves!"**

Suddenly, Cid emanated a bright white light.

When it subsided, a glowing blue statue of Raines stood there, looking at the group with a blank stare.

"He... He turned to crystal," stated Hope.

"So what? Did he complete his Focus?" asked Sazh.

Snow shook his head. "No, I don't think so." He approached the statue. "The only thing Raines ever did, was try to save Cocoon in his own way..."

It was that moment where a thought came across Snow. "He tried to save Cocoon... In his own way!"

He then stormed off. It looked as if he was frustrated, but his face had the expression of realization.

The group looked on, until Raines' crystal form evaporated in light. Particles of crystal dust flew upwards in a pillar of light. A triumphant way to go, for a warrior of Cocoon.

Nero looked on in wonder, and thought about what had transpired. Barthandelus must have needed Cid for other obligations. But the man became a crystal right before them. And he did it, not by the fal'Cie's bidding, but of his own will.

He thought to himself. 'I wonder... Did you do what the fal'Cie wanted, Serah? Or did you do something else entirely?'

-Forgotten Archive-

The mechanism on the door unlocked itself, and the door slowly opened. Light came from the other side of the door, as three shadows loomed.

The Dark Slayer walked inside the room, examining the room's layout. Suddenly, the walls of the room lit up with a blue light. Vergil examined them. They resembled bookcases, but the shelves held five-hundred years worth of history.

"Y- You see? It is just as I told you. Imagine it. Years of lost history, all in small bytes of data. And in this room, no less. We may have the entire history of Pulse in this very room!" said an excited, yet nervous, Somar Leunam.

"If the Sanctum were to discover the existence of this very room, you would be tried for treason. Am I wrong?" asked Vergil.

Hollow walked beside the official. "That is very much true. That is why I kept this little study all to myself."

Vergil turned his head slightly to look at the man. "Is that so? Then you will make this easier for me."

"Eheheh, what do you mean?"

"I want you to show me what this database has on the Legendary Dark Knight, Sparda," demanded Vergil.

Leunam nervously chuckled. "I beg your pardon, really. But I seem to have knowledge of a small bit of the Pulsian alphabet. I have tried to uncover the language myself, but it would seem I've had no success-"

Vergil pointed Yamato at the man's neck. Hollow took out his own Katana.

"If that is so, then why have you brought me here?"

"My apologies. You see, I've done some research, and I have discovered that l'Cie have the uncanny ability to know all languages. It is some ability that is helpful when trying to discover their Focus. "

He pointed to the center of the room. There was a keyboard, and a large sphere of glass above it. "This is the central mainframe of this entire Ark. It can check up to every single tunnel, room, and crevasse. It is also where the entire archive can be accessed. However, as I said before, the Pulsian tongue is still somewhat of a mystery to me."

The tip of Yamato touched the man's neck. "Is that why you have brought me here? To decipher a hidden language for you? It seems that I have failed to mention that I do not like to be used, nor deceived."

Somar raised his hands. "No, please. My apologies, again. But I believe that I have certain knowledge of the Pulsian world. I believe that with our joint intellect, we both may be able to benefit."

"Benefit how?" asked the Son of Sparda.

"Look. We both know that this world will fall. The events of today only proved it. I only wish to be away when it happens..."

Vergil gazed at the man, but quickly unsheathed Yamato. "Survival. One of humanity's greatest vices... Very well."

He then walked to the console, and examined the keyboard. At first glance, they were various symbols of unknown understanding. However, after a few seconds, the symbols began rearranging themselves. After a whole minute, the keyboard had all twenty-six letters of the English alphabet.

After that, Vergil began typing on the key board. Somar looked on in satisfaction. "It seems that the tale is truth, after all."

"Quiet," ordered Vergil.

He then input the words "Sparda," "War," and "l'Cie Mark Removal." Multiple screens appeared on the glass, showing different information in each one.

Vergil circled around the sphere, quickly glancing at every monitor. "It would seem that this information was added to the mainframe after the War of Transgression."

"Is that right?"

"Yes. This information tells that Pulsian mobs sought to lynch Sparda, but could not find him. It also states that the people of Pulse fell to ruin after they lost the War."

"I see..."

Vergil then stopped at a monitor. It had exactly what he was looking for. He inched closer to fully read it. It had been written by Sparda himself.

_"To those wishing to stop the Grim Reaper of Time, an Offering of Blood must be given in the Pulsian Tower of Babel. Let the Blood of the l'Cie fall into the ground of the Cloven Spine, in the Coming Hours of the Day of Wrath. Only then, will one be free, so long as Hope is not lost."_

"What is that?" asked Somar.

"A document left by Sparda. It tells of a method to eradicate the l'Cie mark from one's person."

Suddenly, the entire glass sphere shone brightly with white. Vergil covered his eyes, but slowly uncovered them. What he saw stunned him.

"F- Father?"

Inside the sphere was a man in a purple coat, pants, and a red vest. He wore black leather shoes, white gloves, and had a sword sheathed on his back. His white hair was slicked backwards, and had a monocle on his left eye. He looked somewhat fuzzy. It was a hologram of the Legendary Dark Knight, Sparda.

_"Whoever you may be, if you are listening to this message, then I am no longer in this world, but in my world. Or, perhaps I may be in whichever world demons go to when they die."_

_"If you are one of those who were my comrades in this world, know that I am truly sorry for my betrayal. However, I do not regret my actions."_

_"That girl should not have been the one to carry out Ragnarok. Such a fate should not be carried out by one as young as her. I hope you acknowledge that both she, and her friend have been hidden away, hibernating in crystal sleep. I hope the day comes when they both can see the peaceful future that the world will have."_

_"But as I said before, I do not regret my actions. Ragnarok must not be allowed to be carried out. Cocoon's destruction must be prevented at all costs."_

_"A gre- *static* -dwells- *static* Should- *static* be dest- *static* -ill end in-"_

The transmission was cut off.

The two men stood there, as the monitors from before reappeared.

"Well," spoke Leunam. "That was... Enlightening."

Vergil closed his eyes in thought. 'What was he saying? Cocoon's destruction must be prevented? If only he knew. This world, and its foolish ways, will only come crashing down. Literally.'

Suddenly, Hollow spoke up. "WARNING: Pulse l'Cie detected. LOCATION: Four floors below our current position."

Both men looked at him, and then at the monitor it pointed at. On it, people were fighting against mechanical centaurs.

-The Apse-

Nero pulled out the piece of metal from his chest, and threw it on the ground. "I never want to go into another Vestige again."

"I guess they don't train l'Cie to make peace," Lightning remarked.

The group walked out of the Vault to their next destination.

Sadly, all they found was a huge landscape. Below was a large lake of murky water, and floating on it were the ruins of crumbling buildings.

"Looks like we hit a dead-end," stated Hope.

"Man, this place is huge," muttered Nero. "I wonder if Eden's this big?"

"Hey, how 'bout down there?" asked Sazh as he pointed to a nearby building.

"If the stories are correct, then this place is a maze," told Vanille.

"And seeing how this place is a boot camp for l'Cie, all kinds of challenges from Gran Pulse are probably waiting," added Fang.

"Challenges, huh? And I bet those challenges are for us to get ready to wipe out Cocoon," said Sazh.

"You know, we can wait here, if turning Cie'th sounds better," suggested Fang.

After that, a moment of silence followed. The feeling of being lost was irritating. They had nowhere to go. In truth, they had nothing to do.

"I'VE HAD IT WITH THIS!" shouted Sazh angrily. "WHERE IS IT? WHERE'S THE WAY OUT?"

Nero grabbed Sazh, and slapped him twice. "CALM DOWN! Screaming isn't going to get us anywhere, Sazh. So chill."

After rubbing his cheeks, Sazh nodded. "Yeah, you're right. WE CAN'T PANIC! WE NEED TO STAY CALM!"

'So much for chilling,' thought Nero. "Anyways, he's right about one thing. We need to find a way out."

"A way out? Who the hell said there was one?"

Nero turned to Snow, ready to scold him about his attitude. But he stopped when he saw something. He had not seen it ever since they got here. His trademark grin was plastered all over his face.

Snow pounded his fists together. "Bring it on."

He then walked forward. "I've made up my mind! Maybe I will end up a Cie'th, or worse. But until that happens, I'm going to make Serah proud."

He took out Serah's Tear, and turned to the group. "I couldn't bring myself to admit that this tear meant saying good-bye to the girl I loved. And that's why I kept looking for her."

He tossed the tear into the air and caught it. "But I realized something. I didn't need to! Serah was with me the whole time!" He pounded his chest. "Watching over me... Watching over us!"

"Now I understand. This tear has told me something. It's telling me to not let our Focus win! It's not the fal'Cie we should listen to, it's Serah and Raines!"

"And do you know why?" he asked. "Because our Focus doesn't matter!"

"What matters is that we protect Cocoon, whatever it takes!"

The group remained silent. But Snow felt relieved to smiles on most of their faces.

"You know," started Nero, "if you were running for president, and made a speech like that, you'd have won by a landslide."

Vanille spoke up as well. "You're absolutely right." She walked up to Snow. "I'll help you do it!"

He held out his fist, and she put her hand over it.

Another hand was put over her's as well. "Alright. You guys can count me in," assured Hope.

The chocobo chick flew over their hands. Sazh chuckled slightly. "Well, I guess the little guy speaks for both of us. I'm in."

Nero walked up to the trio. He raised his Bringer hand, but hesitated. He couldn't help but feel out of place, due to his freaky arm.

"C'mon, Nero. When a chocobo agrees to something, you know you're on the right path!"

Another hand then grabbed it, and added it in to the others. His eyes widened as he realized whose hand it was.

Lightning had taken the liberty of adding her hand, and, after noticing his hesitation, Nero's. She nodded at him, with a small smile on her face. Nero couldn't help but smirk.

"Well, you can count me out."

The entire group quickly turned to the Pulsian woman who stood a few feet away, with her back turned to them.

"If you're all serious about going on your own..." She did the unexpected and took out her Bladed Lance against them. "Then so will I!"

Everyone took a step back. "Hey, Hey! Easy, there!" said Snow.

"Let Cocoon get what's coming," suggested Fang. "They hate us for being Pulse l'Cie. What's it to me if they die? Better that than to watch a friend go Cie'th!"

"C'mon now, lady! You ain't thinking straight!" Sazh reasoned.

"Is that really how you feel about their suffering?"

Every one looked at Nero, who walked before Fang.

"What's it to you? That's what you said, right? What about the people who died? What about Dante? I guess his death didn't really mean much to you, huh?"

"Do you have any idea how many people have suffered, because of this whole situation? I know a bunch of PSICOM grunts who got hurt, for blindly following orders from a scumbag who wants every last one of them dead. What about Serah? Sazh's son? They mean anything to you?"

Fang growled. "Shut up, you-"

"NO I WON'T!" he shouted. "Too many people have suffered. Too many people have felt pain. We are the only ones who can stop it! That is why I, too, will do my best to make my Boss proud. And I'll do it by fulfilling his dying wish, and save Cocoon! I will not let you do this!"

"You idiot! You think they'll thank you? Throw you a parade for your heroism?"

"I never cared about any of that!"

"Fine! If you don't have the nerve for it, then I'll do it myself! I'll go out there, get stronger, and smash Cocoon out of the sky!"

Vanille rushed beside Nero. "Fang! Don't do it!"

Suddenly, Fang fell on her knees in pain. "You turn Cie'th, and there's no turning back!"

Nero then looked at his arm. It was going off. And he knew why.

"You guys?" he called. "You might wanna take a few steps back."

Fang clutched her mark. "I'm not... Ugh... LETTIN' IT END THAT WAY!" She then yelled in pain as a summoning rune appeared under her.

A beam shot upwards, and another summoning rune appeared. Out of it shot out a winged dragon covered in a black aura.

It flew away from the group, as black mist dissolved off of it. It made its way back to the platform, and hovered over the group. The creature then transformed its shape. The dragon had red claws, and had purple wings. Its head was white, and its legs were covered with a purple oval shield. This was the dragon Eidolon, Bahamut.

"What he hell's he doin' here?" shouted Fang. "What? Come to get rid of a broken l'Cie?"

Snow eyed the dragon, as it retracted its wings. "That thing's here to help us?"

"Yeah, "help." That's what Eidolons are supposed to do. They're our salvation. If we can't decide what to do next, they come to put us outta our misery!" she shouted. Her yells were directed at Bahamut.

"Sooo... You're saying you havent decided yet?" asked Snow.

The Eidolon then went on the offensive, and conjured an Ignis sphere. Bahamut threw it towards the Pulsian huntress.

She quickly looked away from the oncoming blast. However, she felt no pain. She looked up, to see that Snow had swatted the blast away, where it contacted with a far-off wall.

"Why are you guys protecting me? What the hell are you doin'?" snapped Fang in confusion.

"What's it look like, woman? Helpin' your crazy ass!" replied Sazh.

"You're not thinkin' straight. So think of this as therapy," explained Nero.

"B- But why? After all that, you still want to help me?" she asked.

Lightning stood before her. "That thing wants to harm one of our own. We can do without his, or anyone else's brand of mercy. And we don't need a fal'Cie's orders, either! I don't know about you, but I'm fighting this Focus until the end!"

"We all are," added Nero. "And whether you like it or not, you're one of us."

Lightning extended her hand. "So please... Fight alongside us."

Fang examined the hand before her. She then looked around to see that everyone looked at her in anticipation. Fang finally gazed into the eyes of her best friend.

Letting out a sigh, she took the soldier's hand, and lifted herself up. Fang then walked to the front of the group, twirling her Bladed Lance, before finally, getting into her fighting stance.

"I'm ready, when you are!"

Bahamut lunged forward, and did a Whirlwind attack. This caused for the group to fly in different directions.

Nero grabbed onto the floor, and stopped his movement. He then ran towards the dragon. He raised the Red Queen to do a Splitter, but stopped when Bahamut grabbed him. He growled in pain as dark energies went all over his body. The claws of Bahamut penetrated Nero's chest and back. He was blasted away by the Ignis blast.

He fell flat on the ground, as Bahamut raised his claw at him. It lunged for him, but stopped halfway. It tried pulling its arm forward, but found that hooks were latched on to it.

Vanille, Hope, and Snow pulled on the girl's Binding Rod. The dragon then glared at the group, and used its Whirlwind attack. The trio flew into the air, and was thrown into a nearby wall. Snow fell face first, followed by Hope, who fell on the man's back. Vanille landed on Hope's stomach, crushing both males underneath.

Sazh helped Nero up, as he fired one of his Vega 42 pistols at the dragon. Nero then fired Charged Shots as well. The torrent of bullets caught Bahamut's attention, and it fired an Ignis blast in retaliation. Both gunslingers dodged to the side to avoid it.

Bahamut felt a pain in its right shoulder. It looked to the left to see Lightning had impaled her saber into it. It raised its left claw to swipe at her, but felt that someone was running along its arm. Bahamut glanced at its arm, only to receive a strong strike from Fang's Bladed Lance. She then followed it with a downward swipe to the back of the Eidolon's head, forcing it to the ground.

Bahamut was then lifted into the air by a Spectral Bringer. Nero was in mid-air, as Fang, Lightning, and Snow jumped into the air, unleashing fists, kicks, and strikes on the dragon. When the three l'Cie fell back to the ground, Nero slammed Bahamut face-first on the ground.

The dragon then lunged towards Nero, but the half-demon Table Hopped underneath it. Noticing the boy's actions, Bahamut quickly turned towards him, but found that he was not there. Suddenly, two feet implanted themselves on the dragon's face, as Nero kicked off of the dragon.

Sazh had just reloaded his guns, when he realized something. "Wait a sec- What the hell am I doin'? I HAVE an Eidolon!"

Nero was holding Bahamut's claw, as it reached for a staggered Hope. He snapped at the afro man. "YOU WHAT?"

He rubbed his afro. "Sorry. Forgot to mention that earlier. Must have slipped my mind."

"THEN WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR? USE IT!"

"Oh! Right."

He crossed his arms, as his mark shone with orange light. An orange crystal feather come out of it, and shot upwards.

"I summon... BRYNHILDRRR!" he shouted. Sazh fired bullets at the flying crystal, when one hit the mark. A large orange sphere of energy appeared, and was forming something inside of it. After a few seconds, Brynhildr jumped out of it, with bludgeon in hand.

"There you are! 'Bout time you showed up."

Brynhildr glanced at him, and gave him an annoyed grunt. It then looked at the other Eidolon, and lunged forward.

The Valkyrie Eidolon swung its bludgeon at Bahamut, but it caught the weapon with its claws. Bahamut threw Brynhildr over its shoulder, but Sazh's Eidolon caught the dragon's neck with its bludgeon, taking it down as well.

Brynhildr enveloped the tip of its weapon with fire, and tried to smash Bahamut's head, but the dragon opened its wings, and flew backwards. The Valkyrie Eidolon swung its bludgeon upwards, but the Dragon Eidolon jumped backwards to avoid the Whirlwind attack. In mid-air, Brynhildr fired a Pyroshot, while Bahamut fired an Ignis blast. Both energies exploded on each other.

Brynhildr and Bahamut lunged at each other, and struck with furious strikes. Bahamut would ultimately win the stalemate with a Umbral Vise, and throwing Brynhildr backwards.

Sazh ran forward. "Alright, girl! Put me behind the wheel!"

Brynhildr quickly jumped up, and ran forward. Using the momentum, it flew into the air. Multiple limbs shifted all around the Eidolon's body, as it transformed into Gestalt Mode. Brynhildr had changed into a car, and sped towards Sazh.

"Alright, let's do it!" He jumped, and was caught by the oncoming car.

"Sazhy got himself a new ride," muttered Nero.

He fastened the makeshift seatbelt, and gripped the wheel. The car spun around a few times, before facing Bahamut. "Eidolons! START YOUR ENGINES!"

Sazh drove towards Bahamut, and spun with a Chopper Spin. He then swerved around, and sent a few Caltrop Bombs. Bahamut swatted one away, but most of them exploded in its face.

The car spun around, and fired bullets at the dragon. Then, in a surprising move, the car jumped and twisted upwards, and skidded its back wheels. Sparks came from them, and burned Bahamut.

The chocobo fluttered in Sazh's afro. "Time to wrap this up!"

He spun the wheel and put his foot on the gas. The car spun around, making jets of fire spewed out of the engines. This created the whirlwind attack of fire, Múspell Flame. This caused Bahamut to fall on his back.

Sazh was laughing in triumph, when he felt himself being lifted up into the air. He screamed in fear, as he fell on his back, while Brynhildr landed on the ground. It gave a laugh at the man, and disappeared.

"Yeah. Be seein' you," muttered a grumpy Sazh.

Bahamut tried to get up, but noticed that something was falling towards it.

Fang lunged her arm backwards, as she dove for the dragon. "EAT THIS!" She impaled her lance in the middle of Bahamut's chest, causing it to cry out in pain. The cry slowly died down, as Bahamut levitated itself.

Unexpectedly, it allowed Fang to land in its hand. She was readied in her stance, but calmed down when it gently put her on the ground.

With a final roar, Bahamut disappeared in black aura.

"Well," spoke Snow. "We did it."

"Yeah. And we did it on our own. Not with a fal'Cie's help," added Lightning.

Fang glanced at her burned mark, and then at Nero. He was stretching his arm.

"Hey, Pretty Boy," called Fang. Said individual glanced at her. "I- Uh... Sorry. I didn't mean to disrespect your Boss in that way..."

The boy sent a brief hostile glare at her, but closed his eyes. He was silent for a whole minute.

"Don't sweat it. I won't hold it against you. I know you didn't mean that..." He then smirked. "Hey, Vanille. How'd you deal with her when she had her "stupid" moments?"

Vanille giggled, as Fang put her hands on her hips. "Who you callin' stupid, Pretty Boy?"

"You've gotta admit, Fang. Freakin' out on us when we were having a special moment? That was pretty stupid," said Snow.

Fang only scoffed.

"Hey guys, look!" shouted Vanille.

The group turned to where she pointed at. On the edge of the platform was a blue bridge of magical energy. It was not there during the battle.

"Maybe that thing did save us!" suggested Vanille.

"Yeah. Saved us the trouble of findin' a way out," added Sazh.

Snow grinned triumphantly. "I don't suppose you guys would be willing to call it a sign of me being right, huh?" Silence followed. "No? Oh. Ok..."

"Alright, listen. We keep our eyes on the goal, and I'm sure we'll be able to figure something out!"

Nero put his arms around his head and smirked. "So what are we waiting for? Let's go!"

The group then made it to the bridge, and began to cross it.

Nearby, Vergil kept his eyes on the boy who was his son.

Hollow took out his Katana. "INQUIRY: Shall this unit begin combat procedure?"

Somar waved his hand. "No. That will not be necessary." He glanced at the Dark Slayer. "Unless you believe otherwise?"

Vergil shook his head, not looking away from Nero.

'That boy... He possesses a very diverse fighting style.'

'When I first fought him, he had a small sense of control, which allowed him to keep up with me. However, when I made him angry by speaking about his loved one, he became sloppy, and uncoordinated. The same occurred when he attempted to hit me back in the Palamecia. The only advantage to this would be the strength of his power. His anger makes him strong, although forces his movements to become predictable.'

'And yet, when he fought that Eidolon, he was focused again, and performed exceptionally.'

A thought then came to him. 'I wonder... If he were to find a way to balance both emotions, would he be as strong as Dante was all those years ago? Perhaps more?'

The l'Cie made it to the end of the bridge. There, Vanille saw something that she had not seen in a very long time.

"Guys! Look over there!"

They all looked forward to see an airship. The design was different from PSICOM's. It has two circular wings, and jets on the back.

"It's an airship! And's it from Gran Pulse!" she observed. "It must have been one of the weapons from this Ark."

Fang examined the large ship. In her eyes, it looked operational. A green light then caught her attention. Above the ship was a silhouette of a winged woman.

"Up there! That's a portal to Gran Pulse!" she stated.

Everyone glanced at it. "So that's our exit, huh? Pulse, or bust?" said Sazh.

"It could be one of Dysley's traps," cautioned Lightning

"I wouldn't doubt it. For all we know, Eden could be on the other side of that thing," added Nero.

Sazh walked forward. "Well whatever the case may be, I'm the one who's gonna fly this thing. No more freaky ass ships flyin' themselves around. The only one's piloting this thing are these guys!" He pounded his left bicep.

Fang laughed at him. "Really? That's a Gran Pulse ship! I bet you don't know how to start it!"

"Is that right?" responded Sazh. "You just leave it to me- *cough*" He pounded his chest too hard, and took the air out of his lungs. "I'm okay!"

"Either way, we're on borrowed time. Might as well go," said Snow. He walked behind Sazh and patted his back. "Hey, if we get lucky, we might even be able to find a way to get rid of these goofy tattoos."

"Just like Sparda," added Nero.

Fang glanced at Nero. "Wait. You're tellin' me someone actually did it?"

"Yeah," answered Nero. "Sparda, the Legendary Dark Knight. Or so I've heard. Supposedly, he did it during the War."

Vanille smiled with joy. "Then... We really do have a chance!"

Hope walked forward. "If anything, we know Cocoon is safe for now. I'd say it's worth going to take a look."

The soldier crossed her arms. "Maybe... But what about your father?"

Hope looked down on the ground briefly, but looked back at her. "I made him a promise. To keep moving forward, and to do what I had to do. He told me that only I would know what it was."

"The world's full of lies. We have no way of knowing what's right. The only thing we can do is believe in ourselves."

"It's easy to sit back and let people trick you. Like how the Sanctum made everyone believe that l'Cies were monsters."

"I don't know about you guys, but I've had it with their lies. Fal'Cies, our Focus. From know on, I'm gonna use my eyes. Think. And act."

Everyone began to smile. "I may not make the right decisions. But as long as I'm the one who made the choice to begin with, then I have no regrets."

Nero couldn't help but chuckle to himself. 'Kid's all grown up.'

He walked forward. "Alright, kid. I'm with you. Bad choices, and all." He then patted the boy's head.

Hope chuckled. "Although, I'm not sure how it'll turn out. Pulse is hell, you know."

Fang scoffed. "Oh, is it, now? And how many times have you been here?"

The boy shrugged. "Not once in my life! But I wanna go, and see what it's like for myself."

"OK!" Snow tossed Serah's Tear upwards, and caught it. "Everyone in?"

The group nodded in response.

"Off to hell we go," muttered Lightning.

The group started heading for the ship, but Nero stayed back. He looked behind him, and took a good look of the place.

He then reached for Dante's Amulet, ans stared into it.

"I swear to you, Boss. I will save Cocoon. You just rest, like always."

He put the necklace underneath his collar. And headed towards the ship.

-Palamecia Ruins-

Metal rubble, smoke, and fire surrounded the area. The place was empty, save for some scavengers. In the middle of it shot out a piece of rubble.

A man surrounded in black aura stood in that spot. The aura died away slowly. His pupils were red, but after a while, changed into the color blue.

He grasped his head that had begun to hurt. Looking around, he noticed one particular fact. He was alive.

"Ahahahahah!" laughed Dante. "I told that kid! It's gonna take more than a stupid plane crash to kill me!"

He stopped laughing when he realized that he was alone. Completely alone. The land around him was covered in rubble. He was now lost.

"Hmmm... Where to go from here?"

Ch. 25: Welcome to Gran Pulse

The l'Cie head off into the portal. In their ship. Vanille tells Nero of a memory she had forgotten recently. They soon discover that they have stowaways on their ship. In the midst of their arrival to the new world, a demon god threatens to devour the seven warriors. However, it soon discovers that it is never wise to interfere with a battle of two hated enemies.

**HE'S ALIIIIIVE! C'mon. Who the hell can kill off Dante. NO ONE! But this is a Nero story, so yeah.**

**Don't forget to checkout my new story and type your thoughts! It is not on the crossover section, it is in the Asura's Wrath section.**

**READ AND REVIEW!**


	26. Welcome to Gran Pulse

**Capcom and Square-Enix own DMC and FFXIII respectively. AN: MISSED ME? ****Sorry for the late update! My other computer started crashing on me, so I couldn't update sooner. I also had to worry about applying to colleges. But now, it's here! What has happened since I last wrote? Vergil has been confirmed to appear in the new DmC, and gets his own DLC scenario! The gameplay looks epic. Metal Gear Rising still looks pretty badass. Oh, and of course. Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII has been announced. It can only get better from here.**

Gran Pulse- Welcome to Gran Pulse

-Pulsian Portal-

Nero, Vanille, and Hope looked on in awe, as the ship flew on. Sazh seemed to have managed to get the hang of the controls, and easily fly in. The others were around the cockpit, minding their own business.

"This is so wonderful!" said Vanille in joy. "You guys are going to love it in Pulse!"

Hope looked at her. "I hope so. It'll be nice to have some time away from people trying to kill us."

Sazh held onto the wheel tightly. Maneuvering a ship from a different planet at high speeds was still somewhat of a challenge. "Everyone! Hang on!"

The white light was approaching the ship, and both eventually met. What was on the other side, was a sight to behold.

-Gran Pulse-

The sun seemed to be rising over the horizon, as the sky was nearly covered with clouds. Below, the landscape was covered with grass, earth, and multiple wildlife. No machines, people, or buildings were seen. The scenery looked very natural. The group had arrived to the world below. Gran Pulse.

Vanille went up to the front window to see the landscape. "You did it, Sazh!"

The afro man gave her a triumphant grin. "Yeah!" He looked at her friend. "See, Fang? There was nothin' to worry about!"

Nero kept his gaze outside. "Y'know, this reminds me of how I got here."

"Yeah. I remember you telling us back when we first met. But the others don't know yet, huh?" asked Sazh.

Eyes brimming with curiosity, Vanille yanked Hope over to Nero. "Can you tell us how you got here? Pleeaase?"

"Uh... Why was I dragged over here?" asked Hope.

The devil hunter chuckled, and sat down. "Alright, alright! Gather 'round, kiddies, if you want to know."

Vanille sat down, legs crossed, on the floor. She dragged Hope down to make him sit next to her.

"Again. Why am I being dragged?"

Nero rubbed his chin in thought. "Well... I guess it started back when that old hack Dysley "recruited" me," he explained while doing the quotation hand gesture.

"He got some blood on this one pedestal, and it got all covered in light. Don't know how, but I began to levitate, and was sent flying into space. I think my demonic aura protected me, so I didn't have to worry about breathing in space."

"Come to think of it, the portal that sent me here looks a lot like the green one that got us here."

Fang was surprised to hear this. "What? How's that possible? Pulsians have never left Gran Pulse. So how can there be a portal all the way where you come from?"

Nero shrugged. "Dunno. But if I could make a guess, I'd say that the portal I went through is the same one Sparda used years ago."

"Huh," muttered Fang. "Y'know, I'm not completely sure... But I think I may have met Sparda before."

"Wait. You've met Sparda?" asked Snow.

Vanille stood up, without dragging Hope this time. "Yeah... Now that you've brought it up, I kinda do remember a vague picture. But this was before our Focus, of course. Mainly, I think of the color purple. And his face was- Oh!"

She turned to Nero. "I remember! I met you back at the fireworks festival, remember?"

He scratched his head. "Did we?"

"You bumped into me, right?"

Nero thought for a moment, searching through his head for the memory. His face lit up in recognition. "Oh yeeeah... Oh man, that was you? Oh crap, I'm sorry for bumping into you like that."

She smiled, and waved her hand. "It's fine. You already apologized. But when I first met you then, you reminded me of someone. Now I know! You reminded me of Sparda!"

Fang then walked up to Nero. Rubbing her chin, she examined him closely, as he gave her a confused look.

"Yep. You definitely look like him. Spitting image actually," she told.

"Really?"

"Um, did it ever occur to you people that it's because he's actually related to Sparda?" asked Lightning sarcastically.

"Yeah. Seeing how Nero's Veeee-" Snow hesitated as Nero gave him a murderous glare. "-eeeery much related to Dante, as his nephew."

Nero's eyes then became downcast. 'Boss...'

-Cocoon-

Dante was standing by a road, his thumb raised, as a vehicle was approaching. He then discovered that it was actually a group of trucks, or hover trucks.

Like the last couple of cars, they passed him by.

The Son of Sparda sighed in disappointment. At that moment, an idea popped into his head.

Whistling to himself, he reached for Ivory, but kept it in his coat. Looking over his shoulder slightly, he fired at one of the hover truck's turbine, and it instantly came to a stop.

Grinning, Dante ran over to help out. He saw that a tanned man, with fiery red hair, and a black leather unzipped vest was complaining to a boy with blue hair.

"Hey there! You guys need some help?"

-Gran Pulse-

"You know, I wonder what happened to him. He must have made it back to his home, if Nero's here," stated Vanille.

"But not before winning the war for Cocoon," said a voice by the door.

Nero, and Lightning took out their guns, while Fang got readied her lance. Snow got in front of the two teens, with raised fists. Sazh looked behind him, but quickly looked forward to continue flying. Their attention was toward the two people who entered. They were an old man with a PSICOM official's attire, and a soldier covered head-to-toe with dark armor. The soldier had a bright red Katana held in reverse.

"Yes. "The Dark Knight cast the demon back to the Inferno to bring Salvation to those in Paradise." That is the passage that describes the end of the War of Transgression," explained the man, as he glanced at Lightning.

Hope leaned toward Snow. "That's the soldier from Palumpolum," he whispered.

Nero cocked his gun. "Alright, pal. I want a name, and a reason for why the hell you decided to sneak in here."

The old man took a bow. "Ah, but where are my manners? Allow me to properly introduces ourselves." He gestured to the soldier. "This here is my recently acquired bodyguard. You may address him as Hollow."

Lightning kept her gun towards the black soldier. She couldn't help but feel that behind that black glass, his eyes were staring at her.

"And I am-"

"Somar Leunam: Commander-In-Chief of the entire Sanctum Army. The second most powerful man on Cocoon," interjected Lightning.

Nero looked at her, and then back to the old man. "Leunam? Wait a sec-"

"Yes, Nero. He's related to Gaylor... He brought him into the world," explained Light.

The devil hunter let out a loud chuckle. "He's your son?" Somar nodded. "You named your son, Gaylord? What, did you have too much to drink that day?"

"My wife named him... I wanted to call him Albert," replied Somar.

'Weird name. But way better than Gaylord,' thought Nero.

At that moment, he felt a slight jolt in his Devil Bringer. The Grandson of Sparda looked at it, eyes slowly widening.

"Yeah. That's all good to know," remarked Fang, "But that still doesn't answer the question. Why're you two here-"

"Where is he?" shouted Nero. Everyone present in the room quickly turned his attention to him. "I KNOW YOU'RE HERE, YOU COWARD! SHOW YOUR FACE!"

There was silence for a few moments. Suddenly, the sound of a sliding door opening was heard. From behind the two intruders, the blue coated Son of Sparda walked forward.

But quickly unsheathed Yamato, and sliced the two bullets aiming for his forehead. Vergil raised his scabbard to push the Red Queen to the side, and pointed Yamato's tip toward Nero's neck. Nero pointed the Blue Rose at the latter's face.

Hollow was about to unsheath his katana, but Somar raised his arm, indicating him to stop.

Everyone's attention, except for Sazh's, was at the two devils in the middle of the room. Vergil's expression was a blank, cool, and composed one, where Nero's was visibly angry, hateful, and murderous.

"How... Are you... Still alive?" hissed Nero.

Vergil kept his gaze, despite Nero's hateful tone. "I found a ship, and these two peons flew it. However, when we arrived in Eden-"

"WHO GIVES A FUCK! What I want to know, is why you're still alive, and Dante isn't!" demanded Nero.

"Why? Because Dante chose to prevent the inevitable. He thought that a world as hopeless as Cocoon could be saved. And in the end, he got himself killed for it."

"BECAUSE YOU LEFT HIM THERE TO DIE!"

Vanille gasped at hearing this. "But... But why? Dante was your brother, wasn't he? Didn't you love him?"

"Save your breath, Vanille," called Nero. "This bastard doesn't know the first thing about love!"

Vergil scoffed. "If that was true, you wouldn't be standing here, would you?"

"SHUT UP! YOU ARE NOT MY FATHER! That was just some bullshit lie!" blurted Nero.

"Hmph. No matter what we tell ourselves, we cannot change this small fact. We are of the same blood. However, it really doesn't matter to me."

He glanced at Vanille. "And to answer your question, girl, I did not kill my brother. If I did, the Palamecia would have destroyed Eden, as well as the entirety of Cocoon. So in a way, I am the reason Cocoon still stands now," he explained casually.

Nero gave the man a venomous glare.

Sazh looked over his shoulder in anger. "That's not even funny, man!"

"Nor was it meant to be," he responded.

"But he was your brother!" cried Vanille. "How can you justify doing such a terrible thing?"

Vergil closed his eyes. "Simple. Dante and I were close once, but things have changed. As for his death, it was necessary. A means to an end, if you will. His demise was necessary for me to be rid of my accursed mark. To achieve salvation."

"A coward like you doesn't deserve salvation!" blurted Lightning.

"True, but I am no coward. Dante's mistake was assuming that he had bested me. Though that can easily be due to his arrogant personality. It was his mistake. And he suffered for it."

Fed up with his explanation, Nero sent his right fist at his father's face. Vergil took it head on, but was not pushed back by the force. He retaliated by swiping Nero's arm to the side, causing him to lose his balance. As soon as Nero regained his footing, a hard straight punch connected with his face. Nero stumbled backwards to the floor.

Vergil mere stared him down. "Weak."

Furious, Nero was about to get up, before Fang shouted at Vergil. "Hey, Tough Guy. You still didn't answer my question! Why're you here?"

The old man stepped forward. "I can explain that. You see, as Vergil here explained, we are searching for the place where Sparda removed his mark. When we arrived on the ship, Vergil failed to-"

Said man glanced at Somar, causing him to flinch. "Erhm- Decided to not tell us of your presence here. And that is how we found ourselves here."

Snow scratched his bandanna. "So... You guys just wanted to hitch a ride?"

The old man grinned slyly. "Well... Not exactly."

He snapped his finger, and Hollow unsheathed his katana.

"We wish to commandeer this ship. And to do that, I'm afraid you, and your motley crew have to go. No hard feelings, I hope?"

Hearing this, the group got into their fighting stances.

Suddenly, a huge blur shot in front of the ship, shaking the entire ship. Everyone then turned to the window. A long, gigantic purple worm-like creature had dashed above them.

Fang gave a small laugh. "Playful little critter, ain't it?"

"That thing can go play somewhere else," growled Nero. "We've got business here to take care of!"

The large creature was beginning to turn back towards the ship, when it was suddenly yanked inside a cloud.

Sazh then began to notice that everywhere in front of the ship, clouds began to form rapidly. "Uh, I hate to break up this tense little moment, but somethin's happening over here!" shouted the pilot.

The l'Cie and the stowaways looked at the group of clouds before them. Then, out of nowhere, a gigantic creature flew out of them. It had two large wings which had black, cloud-like smoke emitting off of them, and two large black talons. Behind it was a long tail that flailed with the wind. White menacing eyes glared at the ship, as it screeched, thus opening its black beak. Inside, sharp teeth surrounded it. It's head was covered in black feathers, while the rest of the body was covered in dark grey feathers. The Wind God of the Demonic Realm, Aerus, had arrived.

"Just what we need," muttered Nero. "Another demon!"

Hope's eyes widened with fear. "F-F-Fang? You don't suppose that thing's friendly, do you?"

The huntress shook her head. "Nope. If anything, I think it believes that we're lunch!"

Sazh then began to panic. "WHAT? You mean that thing's comin' right here, and he's gonna get a l'Cie food buffet?"

"Hmph. "Cie food." That's cute," joked Lightning.

"THIS IS NO TIME FOR GAMES!" shouted the pilot.

The Commander-In-Chief then snapped his fingers again, and Hollow sheathed his sword. The black soldier then took out two EMP amplifiers.

"Well it seems we won't be needing your ship after all. Pitiable, but understandable," said the elder Leunam.

Vergil quickly glanced at him. "What?"

"Guys, here it comes!" shouted Hope.

In moments, Aerus slammed its talon to the side of the ship. This caused the metal to be torn apart, thus leaving behind a huge hole. Instantly, both Hope, and Vanille were sucked into the air like a vacuum. Luckily, Vanille managed to grab onto a piece of the ship, and Hope. However, her grip was slipping by the second.

Somar and Hollow were sucked outside, but made no attempts to hang on.

Vergil held onto a railing, as the ship fell into a nosedive. Nero was right behind him, hanging onto another railing. He then gasped in horror, as he heard the Pulsian girl scream, as she let go of the ship.

"HOPE! VANILLE!"

Vergil's eyes widened in shock. "No! If they perish..."

Nero then remembered Vergil. Anger welling up inside him due to his friend's fates, and his hatred for the man, Nero dashed forward. Vergil heard Nero's cry, but was too late. When he turned around, Nero had tackled him, and both descendants flew out of the ship.

Snow was hanging on for dear life, but saw what had happened to the teens. "FANG, GET 'EM!" he called.

She nodded. "I'm on it!"

She then dove forward into the sky, and Lightning followed. Fang reached for her brand, and took out a crystal petal, the Bahamut Eidolith. She then tossed it behind her. Lightning saw it, and took out her Blazefire Saber. Aiming with skill, she fired at the crystal, where it made contact.

Black smoke appeared, and then a purple summoning rune appeared. In seconds, Bahamut, in its Gestalt Mode, shot towards the two l'Cie.

"Light!" called Fang, as she extended her arms and legs so that the wind could push her back. Lightning grabbed her arm, and both women were caught by the dragon Eidolon.

The Pulsian ship fell past them, with Snow and Sazh inside. "Hang on, Light. Here we go!" Bahamut them dove towards the ship.

Both Nero and Vergil were having a fist fight in mid-air. Nero held onto his father's coat, with his left hand, and tried to slam his Bringer onto Vergil's face. The Dark Slayer's arms were crossed, blocking every fist headed for him. Nero then began punching Vergil's stomach. Using the opportunity, he used his scabbard to hit Nero's head, causing him to let go. However, Nero used his Snatch ability to pull his opponent towards him with the Spectral Bringer. As soon as he got to Nero, the former knight sent a hard hook to Vergil's face, as the Dark Slayer kneed Nero's face.

Snow and Sazh were hanging on to the falling ship, when Snow caught Bahamut heading towards them.

Sazh noticed the dragon as well, and called to it. "HEY! WE'RE OVER HERE!"

Just as Bahamut zoomed past them, both men jumped away from the ship and grabbed onto the Eidolon.

Hope and Vanille were free-falling, holding onto each other.

"You alright?" she called.

"Oh yeah! I'M JUST GREAT!" shouted Hope sarcastically.

Suddenly, Vergil was thrown in front of them, as Nero followed. The young half-devil did a spinning kick towards the Cocoon l'Cie, but Vergil caught his leg. He then did an uppercut punch, and sent a left straight punch to Nero's abdomen. Vergil then unsheathed Yamato and swung for Nero. Luckily, the boy caught the O-Katana with his Devil Bringer.

As Vanille and Hope watched the exchange with worry, a voice called to them. "GRAB ON!"

Both teens looked behind them to see everyone on Fang's Eidolon. They managed to grab on, and held on tightly to the dragon.

"We have to get Nero!" said Hope.

"No problem!" said Fang, as Bahamut dove faster.

Nero managed to take out Blue Rose, and attempted to fire at his adversary, but Vergil pushed his arm away with his scabbard. Suddenly, both fell on a hard surface. Nero fell on his back, but Vergil landed on top of him. Using the opening, Vergil held Yamato's blade to Nero's neck.

As soon as that happened, he heard the sound of gun's clicking. "Don't even think about it."

The Dark Slayer looked to his left to see that the female soldier and the pilot were aiming their guns at him. Both devils had landed on Bahamut. In that moment, Nero aimed Blue rose at his face. He was trapped.

Then, out of nowhere, Aerus had flown below Bahamut, causing the dragon to shake. This in turn, caused both Nero and Vergil to fall off of the dragon, only to land on the demon bird's back.

The l'Cie watched in horror, as Aerus flew into the cloudy skies, with Nero and Vergil as its passengers.

Both warriors rolled on its back, but they managed to grab onto its tail. Nero then reached for the Red Queen, and swung it towards Vergil. The Son of Sparda only countered with Yamato, and then began to climb up the tail. Nero followed after, and swung at him again, only to be blocked again.

It was then, that a huge gust blew both Descendants of Sparda upwards into the air. In mid-air, they could see that Aerus was performing a loop, and aiming towards them. Luckily, both did Aerial Recoveries, and dove above the oncoming Wind God. Both devils latched onto the demon's back. Aerus then began to fly forward, giving the warriors time to stand up.

Nero charged at Vergil, but Vergil blocked him. Both devils pushed against each other, before Vergil parried Nero, slashing him across the chest. Despite the pain, Nero only rushed forward again, sword held with both hands. Nero slashed left and right, while his father maintained a steady defense. Vergil struck the Red Queen with great force, and went on the offensive, as he sent quick swipes continuously at Nero.

As he defended against the Dark Slayer's onslaught, Nero luckily spotted an opening, and took out his gun. He fired at Vergil, but said man used his scabbard to push the gun away. Yamato and the Red Queen were locked together, as Yamato's scabbard and the Blue Rose pushed against each other. They were locked in a stalemate.

Then a huge jerk sent both warriors to the floor. Vergil then decided to grab onto one of the feathers of the bird. Nero was trying to stand up, when another jerk sent him flying from Aerus. The Demon God spotted Nero, and did a loop and a dive to chase after him.

Bahumut flew below the clouds, as the l'Cie tried to see if they could spot their friend.

"Anything, Hope?" asked Vanille.

The boy was using a small portable telescope that he had in his bag. He then shook his head. "I'm sorry, guys. But these clouds are making it hard to see him."

"If they're still here, then that monster is still somewhere inside. As well as Nero," observed Lightning.

Snow was still looking for Nero, when he heard loud breathing next to him. He turned to see Sazh was breathing heavily. "Hey, Sazh. You alright, man?"

Sazh clutched his chest. "Huff... Huff... Is it me... Or is it getting harder to breath here?..."

Everyone then glanced at him, only to notice that his mark was beginning to glow. Suddenly, they heard screaming in the distance. They looked to the Eidolon's right, and saw someone falling out of the clouds. They instantly recognized the owner of the voice.

"There he is! It's Nero!" shouted Vanille.

As soon as she finished saying that, Aerus burst from the clouds, and zoomed after Nero, with its mouth open.

Nero saw the demonic bird lunge toward him, and Aerial Recovered. At the right moment, his hands and boots caught the beak, and he tried to hold Aerus' jaw in place. However, the strength of the demon's jaw was beginning to push his limits, and the beak began to close.

"Uh oh," blurted Snow.

"NERO!" shouted Hope and Vanille. Lightning also had a look of worry.

Sazh then began to panic as his chest began to feel warmer. "Oh- Oh my God! Help! I'm burnin- I'M BURNING UP! Ho boy! IT'S GETTING HOTTER!"

Snow then turned to the afro man. "He- Hey! Take it easy, and stay still-"

Suddenly, a light came from Sazh's chest, and a bright red sphere flew out of it. Upon closer inspection, it was an orange crystal that was somewhat shaped as a feather. It then flew fast towards Aerus, right where Nero was.

Sazh stared at his chest in disbelief, as he realized the "warm" feeling was gone. "What... What the hell just happened to me?" he shouted.

Lightning stared at the afro man in shock, and then touched the area where her mark was. 'That happened to me back in the Palamecia...' She glanced at the flying demon. 'Is he... Is he getting a new power?"

The crystal feather, the Brynhildr Eidoltih, flew past Aerus, only to stop and fly towards it. Nero was still having trouble hold the jaws of the demon in place, when he saw the crystal. It was then he felt pain in his l'Cie mark.

'Again... Like in the Palamecia!' he thought.

He then realized that his grip was too weakened to hold the bird's mouth. But just before they closed completely, the crystal feather went inside Nero's mark. After that, Aerus finally closed its mouth.

Sazh gasped in horror as he saw it happened. "OH MY GOD! MY CRYSTAL KILLED HIM!"

About about thirty seconds later, Aerus began to flap its wings rapidly, as if in pain. Vergil, who was still on Aerus' back, was gripping tighter onto the feathers.

The l'Cie saw smoke coming out of the bird's beak. Then, the bird's beak opened as a large fireball shot out of it. Inside was Nero.

His eyes were glowing red as he was surrounded by the fiery aura. He crossed his arms, and threw them to the side, screaming as he did so. This caused for the aura to cover him completely.

Light's eyes widened in recognition. "He- He's transforming again!"

Vergil saw this event unfold in complete shock. "What? Impossible!"

The aura died down, and a new being floated there. The being's legs were colored in black scales, while the left arm was covered in red. The chest was blue, and very toned. White hair was pulled back into a fin, and the face was as blue the chest, complete with glowing orange eyes. And on the back, two black dragon wings jutted out. Nero had transformed into Abbadon Nero.

With a loud roar, Abbadon Nero took out the Red Queen, which was automatically in its Exceed mode. Aerus then sent Aeroga Blasts towards him, but Nero flapped his wings, and flew to the sides as he avoided them. In mid-air, Nero did an EX Calibur to Aerus' face, sending it falling backwards.

Nero then conjured Firaga spells on both hands, and then began sending multiple blasts towards Aerus. Each blast caused smoke to envelop the Demon God, as it screeched in pain.

Then out, of the smoke, a blue light emerged. Nero got a quick look, and realized that it was Vergil in his Devil Trigger Form, hovering over Aerus with demonic wings.

Remembering their battle, Nero quickly dove towards the Dark Slayer, ready for another fight. **"VERGIIIIL!"**

The Son of Sparda heard him, and quickly turned to see the burning Red Queen swinging towards his neck. He quickly unsheathed Yamato, and swung in retaliated in defense. Nero was pushed backwards, but charged forward again, as did Vergil. They clashed with each other, and were both forced backwards by the impact. They repeated this several times, before locking into a stalemate. Vergil gritted his teeth in annoyance, as Nero growled with pure hatred.

A piercing Aeroga Beam then hit both transformed devils, and sent them backwards. They recovered in the air, to see that Aerus was casting multiple Aeroga blasts towards them.

Both Spardas growled in annoyance, when they realized what they had done. They both glanced at each other. In that moment, they had come to a quick understanding. That bird was getting in the way of their fight.

At the same time, both devils sped towards the Demon God. Many Aerogas flew past them. Vergil merely Rapid Slashed any spell unfortunate enough to be in his path. Nero EX Calibured the blasts. In seconds, both warriors had reached the gigantic eagle. At the same time, Nero and Vergil charged at the demon's head. They then impaled their swords on its head, releasing pillars of smoke from it. Nero was the top side of Aerus, while Vergil was below it. Just then, both warriors dragged their swords across the demon's body, a trail of black smoke following them. In full synchronization, both swords were swiped away from the Demon God.

Nero then lifted his arm up, and a pillar of flames appeared. From it, a large weapon that had the appearance of a bazooka appeared. It looked as if it was made from rock lava, and the opening resembled a dragon's head with two red horns.

Nero aimed it at Aerus' falling form, and began to charge it. A large sphere of fire began to form at the dragon's head. With one last cry, Nero fired his bazooka, the Abbadon's, Hell Bomb at the demonic eagle. It made contact, and instantly incinerated a majority of the demon's body. The remains of Aerus merely dissolved into dark clouds.

By this point, Fang noticed that it was getting harder to fly in the clouds. "Everybody hang onto something! I'm taking her out of these clouds!" Bahamut then dove below to get a visible view of the ground.

Nero and Vergil reverted back to their human forms, and watched as Aerus' dissolved in smoke. Vergil only scoffed to himself. He then twirled Yamato, and slid it across his scabbard, and finally sheathing the O-Katana with a cl-

A hard straight punch sent Vergil backwards. When steadied himself, he was welcomed with the sight of Nero diving towards him, with his Bringer lunging towards his abdomen, where it made contact. Vergil was sent flying backwards into the dark clouds.

Nero dove after him, but after a short while he found nothing. He looked around to find him, when he was kicked in the back of the head. Vergil had dived around him.

Nero was pushed forward. but then dove back towards the Dark Slayer, connecting a hook to his face. Vergil sent a straight punch, but Nero was ready. He blocked the punch with his forearm, and kicked away from Vergil, giving him space.

Nero then grabbed Red Queen, and swung at Vergil, who blocked, with Yamato's scabbard. He then unsheathed the O-Katana, and landed a strike at the Red Queen. Both charged at each other several times, before dueling each other in mid-air.

Bahamut emerged from the clouds, as they began to let up.

Snow was relieved to be out of there, but then remembered his comrade. "Hold up a sec! Where's Nero?"

Nobody said anything for a few minutes. The silence was then broken by the soldier.

"There!" she exclaimed, as she pointed at the sky.

In the distance, the two warriors emerged from the clouds, leaving behind a small trail. They could be seen striking at each other in mid-air. Then, both son and father locked into a stalemate, before pushing away from each other.

Nero sheathed the Red Queen, and then charged his l'Cie mark and Devil Bringer with demonic aura.

"I'm so fucking tired... OF SEEING YOUR FAAAAAACE!" shouted Nero as he lunged toward Vergil.

Vergil then charged his l'Cie mark with his own demonic aura.

"Then resign to your fate, AND ACCEPT DEEEEAAATH!" he roared as he lunged toward Nero.

Both were approaching each other at high speeds. When they made contact, a shockwave could be felt from as far as Bahamut.

Nero pushed against Vergil's fist, pain filling the left side of his face. Vergil pushed his chin downwards against Nero's uppercut fist in return.

Both remained that way, before pushing their fists even further. At the same time, both fighters were pushed backwards by each other's strike. Vergil spun vertically in mid-air, while Nero fell downwards, unconscious.

Vergil managed to recover in mid-air, and then Devil Triggered. His wings began flapping, as he wiped the blood from his mouth, eyes in shock.

'Impossible! IMPOSSIBLE! There is no way he could have punched me that way. On that ship, his strength was weak. But after he transformed... He became stronger...'

Vergil stared down at the falling Nero, before flying after Somar and Hollow.

Nero was still falling, unconscious as the air blew against his face. His body was about to hit the trees below, before something snatched him in mid-air.

Nero's eyes opened slowly to the sight of trees passing his feet. He quickly looked up to see that Lightning had grabbed his Bringer, and was pulling him up. She got him on top of the dragon, an everyone greeted him with much relief.

"You're alright!" cheered Vanille.

"Don't scare us like that again. Nearly had myself a heart attack. Literally," said Sazh.

Nero clutched his head in pain. "Thanks guys," he thanked with a small smile.

'Damn it... He must've knocked me out...' he thought.

He felt a hand on his shoulder. He turned to see the pink-haired soldier nodding to him. "Now we're even."

"Even? For what?" he asked.

She looked away from him, eyes closed. "For Palumpolum."

Nero then sighed. He remembered now. Back when they fought with Gaylor, he had saved her from falling to her death.

He then looked at the landscape before him. Now with the danger past them, everyone looked in awe at the new world before them.

Noticing their stares, Fang let out a chuckle.

"Home sweet home. Welcome to Gran Pulse."

Ch. 26: The Power Within

Two weeks have passed since the l'Cie arrived on Gran Pulse. Having searched far and wide, they reflect on their journey so far, when an idea occurs to one of them. That there is a possibility that the answers to their fate and future lie across the planet. In the city of Oerba.

**AU: Again, I am sincerely sorry that I have been on an unannounced hiatus. I'm at the point in life where I have to leave high school, and go to college. I'm still in high school, so I still have time to write. I promise that I will have this story finished before I leave for college, as well as start on the sequel, and Asura's Wrath Reborn.**

**Anyway, have a merry Christmas, and a Happy New Year!**

**Oh, and READ & REVIEW!**


	27. The Power Within

**Capcom and Square-Enix own DMC and FFXIII respectively. AN: *opens door* Ah. Welcome, my friends! In case you don't know what's happening, we are all going to be partying as you read this chapter! Why, you may ask? One number. 200. 200 reviews since this story started! I want to thank you all for believing that this story is good enough for your attention. I have an announcement, but I'll give you the news at the end. Before that, I would like us all to pour orange soda on a cup, raise our cups and make a toast. To this story, and all other amazing things in the world. Thank you all. You're the best!**

Purgatory- The Power Within

-Purgatory-

Nero's eyes opened slowly to the sight of fog. It enveloped him, blinding his vision. He examined his surroundings, but saw nothing. Nero's view shifted downwards, as he felt the ground beneath him. He reached out for it with his left hand, digging through the sand.

He then noticed that the fog was dissolving. He stood up, and studied the surrounding environment. It was an island. The land was large enough to make one small house there. In the island's center, a tall tree stood, bright green leaves fluttering in the wind. There was a swing tied to one of the tree's branches.

Nero then looked at the sea. Small waves washed on the shore, as the smell of salt water was in the air. He inhaled the air, holding it in for a moment. Nero then exhaled, as if in relief.

It was then, that he heard the small sound of laughter. He looked to his left, and then his right. The demon hybrid found no one. Nero heard the sound again, and realized that it was on the other side of the island. Nero then walked along the shoreline, his mind wondering how he had gotten there, and to whom did the sounds belong to.

He remembered that he had fought against the Dark Slayer, which led to him having to be saved by Lightning. After that, they had been travelling on Pulse for a while. He did not remember anything else after that.

After a short minute, he had found the source of the sounds. As he looked forward, he saw a boy who was trying to build a sand castle with a mound of dirt. The boy wore a set of dusty pink dungarees over a light blue and green zipped jacket and trousers with a white polo neck visible under, and tan leather shoes. What the former knight noticed immediately, was that the boy had a small afro.

Nero then noticed the boy's companion. A girl was sitting on a rock that was near the boy. The pink hair was what allowed him to recognize her.

"Serah... It's you," Nero recognized.

Serah looked at the man from her seat, and smiled. "It's nice to see you again, Nero."

After hearing the man speak, the boy looked up at him in awe.

"So I'm back in Purgatory," observed the Grandson of Sparda.

Nero glanced at the boy, then to the girl. "Who's the kid?"

Serah looked at the boy. "Dajh? Would like to introduce yourself?"

The boy turned his attention to her. Seeing her smile, he smiled as well, and turned to Nero. "I'm Dajh. Dajh Katzroy."

The man gasped to himself. "K- Katzroy?" he asked. Dajh nodded. "Tell me something. You wouldn't happen to be related to a Sazh Katzroy... Would you?"

Hearing that name caused Dajh to jump up from the ground, and jump up and down. "That's my Daddy! How do you know my Daddy?"

Nero smirked to himself, and crouched down to the boy's level. "Well, me and your Pop are friends."

Dajh's eyes widened. "Really?"

"Yeah," assured Nero. "Y'know, he really misses you."

Dajh then frowned. "Is he... Sad?"

Nero smiled. "Nope. He knows he'll be able to see you again. I bet he's counting the days, too." The boy's face brightened with joy.

Serah stood up from her stone. "Hey Dajh. Want go play on the swing?"

Dajh nodded. "Yeah, sure."

"Alright, go ahead," she urged, as the boy then ran up the hill.

Serah walked up the hill, but slowed down to look at Nero. "You coming?"

Nero, who was staring at the boy, quickly glanced at her. He nodded, and walked alongside her.

"So," began Serah. Nero noticed that there was a nervous tone to her voice. "How's my sister and Snow? Are they... Doing alright?"

Nero shrugged. "Well, she still has the soldier mentality But at this point, we're used to it. She gets along with us. Snow's still the lovable oaf we all know and love. Apparently Hope had a grudge against him, but they've settled the matter. Everyone else is doing fine too. Oh!"

He turned to her, a wide grin on his face. "You'll also be happy to know that Light and Snow aren't fighting anymore. They're making an effort to get along."

Serah quickly snapped towards the demon l'Cie, eyes wide and mouth open in surprise. She then smiled in joy.

"Really? They are?" she asked. Nero nodded in response. "This is so great! Wait. did she give him her blessing for us to get married?"

Nero stopped in his tracks. He scratched his head, as a sheepy grin was plastered on his face. "Well... Not exactly..."

He smile quickly changed into a frown of confusion. "Oh?"

"Well, see, I haven't exactly hear her _say _that she approves of your marriage with Snow. At least not yet," he explained.

Serah then looked down at her feet. "Oh... I see..."

Nero then reached for her shoulder, as he gave her a reassuring smile. "Hey, don't be so down. That doesn't mean that she's not going to give it."

Serah then looked up at Nero. "Do you really think so?"

He patted her shoulder. "Wouldn't be telling you if I didn't."

She smiled and giggled. "Thank you." Nero nodded.

"Hey, Serah!" called Dajh. Both Nero and Serah looked at the swing by the tree. The young Katzroy was seated on it. "Come push me, Serah!"

Giggling, the girl went up to the boy, as Nero followed. Being very careful, Serah pushed Dajh on the swing. After giving him enough momentum, Serah let Dajh swing himself back and forth.

Nero sat on the ground with Serah, observing as the boy's merriment went on. It was then, that he realized something.

"Hey, Serah. Why'd you ask about our progress? Aren't you able to see what's going on from here?" he asked.

Her expression then became worried, "Well, the last time we met, I did. But... Something's happening."

The man's looked at her with a confused look. "What do you mean?"

She shook her head. "I'm not sure... All I know is that something has severed our connection to the world. We can't see what's going on in Cocoon or Pulse anymore."

Nero rubbed his chin in thought. "You mean like... Something's jamming you guys?"

Serah shrugged. "I don't know... I guess you could say that."

Nero crossed his arms, and closed his eyes in thought. "I wonder... Does this have something to do with the Demon Gods?"

Serah glanced at him, watching as he mumbled to himself. "Is something wrong?"

The half-devil uncrossed his arms. "I don't know. A lot of stuff's been happening lately. Demon Gods... Us being called Chosen, but for what, I don't know... And..."

He paused, frowning in irritation. Serah noticed this, and inquired about it.

"What's wrong?"

Nero gave a deep sigh. "Well. Some of the stuff we've seen... The things we've faced... I know it sounds selfish, but I can't help but feel that most if it is because I'm here."

The younger Farron sister cocked her head curiously. "Why's that?"

He shrugged. "I guess... I mean, everything that's happened. To you, your sister, Snow, and the others... I feel that my presence endangers them. Like I'm a kind of trouble magnet. I mean, tell me, did Cocoon ever have demon attacks before?"

Serah's chin leaned on her hand. "Now that I think about it, not really."

"See!" blurted Nero. "I'm somehow connected to this!"

"No. You're just overreacting. You're thinking about this way too much," she consoled.

"But you don't understand!" he exclaimed. "I... I learned that I'm from Cocoon..."

Sera's eyes widened slightly at this.

"I was... I was also told that... The man who I'm trying to assassinate... The man who stole my future... I learned that he could be my father..."

He heard a gasp from the girl's the direction. "I mean... I've lost so much... My mentor... My foster-brother... My fiancée... Everything about my old life is gone..."

He was silent for a moment. "I... I don't know who I am anymore... Or what's left for me."

Nero remained quiet again. He quickly glanced at Serah, who had her eyes closed in thought. Her eyes then opened, her blue eyes looking into his own.

"Well... Did you ever think about finding a new life?"

Nero blinked in confusion. "What?"

"Well," she began. "You don't have anything left from your old life, right? So, why not find a new life? One where you're happier?"

The man gave out a heavy sigh. "It ain't that simple. I still have to deal with him..."

"Why?" she asked, in a worried to tone.

"Because... If I can't stop him... If I can't face my past... If his crime has not been punished... I will never be free," he explained.

Serah had a curious look in her eyes. "Free? Free from what?"

He sighed. "I don't even know that myself..."

"I see," she replied.

Both of them said nothing, but listened to the sound of Dajh laughing as he swung back and forth.

"Well, if I were you, I wouldn't be worried," Serah said suddenly.

"Hmm? Why's that?" asked Nero.

She turned to him, her legs crossed as she sat. "Well, yeah, you have to face your own past to finally be happy. But that doesn't mean you have to do it alone."

"I mean, people can't go through life doing everything by themselves. When one is a child, they always look up to someone for guidance."

"Yeah, but I didn't have the fortune of having my parents with me," rebutted Nero.

"I understand that. But someone have been there to show you how to act and live, right?" she asked.

"Yeah... But they were murdered... All of them..." he replied.

Serah gasped. "Oh! I- I'm sorry..."

"Don't be." He waved his hand. "Go on."

"Well, what I'm trying to say is that there are some things in life you don't have to do alone. When I became a l'Cie, I was afraid. I knew that being a l'Cie was almost the same as an instant death."

"But then, Snow wanted to help me. He told me that no matter what happened, he would always be there to help me. After that, I had the courage to face my fate. And although I'm trapped here, I still have the hope of seeing Snow and my sister again."

"So, the point is that you don't have to face your problems alone. If you have people who will help you, let them. It's better to do something with people who care, than to do it alone. That way, you'll be stronger."

Nero heavily contemplated her words. "Stronger, huh? Yeah... I guess you're right."

He flashed a grin at her. "Thanks, Serah."

She giggled. "You're welcome."

-Gran Pulse, Terra Incognita-

_"A world wild and fragile, vibrant and untamed... Gran Pulse."_

A red flower stood before a waterfall, the sound of water sliding on rocks being heard. Cotton trees loomed at the top of large cliffs. Natural stone walkways were inside the trench, as the floating continent of Cocoon hovered in the heavens.

-Archylte Steppe-

_"It's a place ruled by the brutal struggle for survival, and callous and uncaring whim of the fal'Cie."_

A large bird, with bright yellow feathers, a chocobo, stood near a watering hole, drinking the fresh water, and quenching its thirst. Unbeknownst to it, a large pack of quadruped predators, Gorgonopsid, dashed toward the unsuspecting animal.

The chocobo's head snapped up, seeing the oncoming predators. Instinct taking over it, the chocobo ran quickly, hoping to evade the pack. Unfortunately, a Gorgonopsid pounced on its back, and bit the bird's right wing. The chocobo jerked wildly, trying to shake off its predator. But its resistance was futile.

The rest of the pack reached their prey. The Gorgonopsid opened its jaw, as it-

Two bullets exited the beast's cranium, causing it to fall limp to the chocobo's side. A blast of fire caused the rest of the back to move away from the chocobo.

A loud gunshot was heard, followed by a man in a blue coat. "Get the fuck back, NOW!"

The Gorgonopsids growled at the man, intended to slaughter him with their sharp teeth. Suddenly, the man swung his arm to the side, and a large torrent of energy swatted them all backwards.

"I said, BACK!" he ordered.

The members of the pack snarled at him. Despite this, they retreated back slowly, before running away.

Nero huffed in satisfaction. He then looked at the chocobo, examining its bleeding right wing. He knelt to inspect it further, before realizing it was a minor injury. Nero placed his right hand over the wound, as his Devil Bringer began to glow with a green light. After a few seconds, he lifted his hand, and saw that wound was healed, although there was a spot where there was no feathers.

The half demon l'Cie smiled. "There. That ought to make you better."

The bird lifted its neck to see its wing. It then got on its two feet, and looked at Nero. Its head moved inches away from Nero's, looking at him closely. It sniffed him, and it then sneezed on him. With a loud squawk, it ran off into the plains.

Groaning, Nero wiped the residue of snot from his face. "Yeah, you're welcome."

He then looked behind him to see a large plain of unique creatures. Nero smirked in anticipation.

"Time to get some take-out."

-Yaschas Massif-

_"There is no such thing as mercy... Only a never-ending string of trials that weed out the weak, and leave only the strong."_

_"Raines knew the truth... The purpose lying at the heart of all the fal'Cie's actions."_

_""Recalling their lost deity, and returning the world to its former glory.""_

_"And Cocoon's destruction? It's just a way to wake up a sleeping god... But would bringing the Maker back to this world really lead to our salvation?"_

_"The Maker created fal'Cie... And they, in their desperation to be reunited with the Maker, created l'Cie."_

_"And us l'Cie? I wonder what we'll end up creating."_

Lightning, Snow, and Sazh walked into a large square. They all walked forward, examining the ancient ruins. What looked like small buildings leaned against a rock wall. Various pillars and structures stood, but most had pieces broken off.

Here, they would hopefully find a clue on what to do next.

-Vallis Media-

Hope laid a ripe coconut near the pile of other coconuts. The chocobo chick hovered above it, and rolled it close to the pile of coconuts.

Hope smiled, and looked at the palm tree, and took a few steps back. He then ran forward, and hit the tree with his left side. The force of the impact caused the tree to shake. A coconut fell, and Hope tried to catch it, but it fumbled in his hands, and he dropped it. It flew over the chocobo, but missed him by many inches. The chick chirped in annoyance towards the boy. However, he couldn't help but laugh.

Hope then picked up the coconut, before looking at the sky.

_"Our future looked bleak, but as long as we could keep our spirits up... We'd find a way to change our fate... Somehow."_

-Base Camp-

Vanille's eyes opened slowly, only to see her friend Fang sitting beside her.

"You were having a dream," she told.

The Pulsian girl sat up. "Yeah. A pretty strange dream."

Vanille looked as the sun began to set. The ruins of their ship was in front of them, giving shade to the small camp.

A rustling of grass behind them caught their attention. The sound of tired groans indicated that the scouting group had returned.

"You're back!" greeted the girl.

"Heeeey," greeted a tired Sazh. "Damn, my feet are killin' me."

"Hey guys. Any luck?" inquired Fang.

Lightning crossed her arms in annoyance. "No sign of anyone else around here. But we did find a bunch of bloodthirsty animals, and crumbling ruins."

Vanille gave a disappointed sigh. "Long day?"

Snow walked forward. "Well guys, we've checked every place around here, and have run out of places to search." The man then looked around the camp, and noticed that there were two missing heads. "Hey, where's Hope and Nero?"

Fang shrugged. "The kid went out with the chocobo to get supplies. As for Pretty Boy, he went to go fetch our dinner."

"FAAAAAAANG!" shouted a voice. The group looked to the nearest entrance. On the pathway, a figure was sprinting towards the camp. It was Nero, and he had a panicked expression on his face.

"Well, speak of the devil. No pun intended," joked Sazh.

Fang leaned forward to get a closer look. Her eyes then widened in shock. She realized that Nero was not sprinting towards them, but rather, away from the pack of Gorgonopsids.

"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOIN', BRINGING 'EM OVER HERE?" she shouted, as everyone else finally caught on to what was occurring before them.

"FANG! Get everyone back! I'm gonna use it!" he shouted.

In final push, Nero sprinted as fast as he could, just as a Gorgonopsid almost pounced on him. With his momentum built, he leaped, flipping forward in mid-air. In the air, he took out his Blue Rose, and aimed it upwards. Above the entrance was a large boulder covered in rope, tied to one of the trees at the top of the cliff.

With great accuracy, he fired two bullets from the custom handgun. Both bullets soared through the air, before aligning perfectly with the rope. The bullets pierced through it, thus causing the boulder to be subdued by gravity.

The boulder crushed two of the pack members upon contact. Nero landed on his feet, sliding backwards a few feet. He then dashed ahead, and did a frontflip above the ground. He then kicked the giant stone with both of his feet. This caused for the stone fly forward, crushing any Gorgonopsid in its path. Nero then sent his Bringer forward, summoning a Spectral Bringer, and lashing it at the boulder. The force of the Phantom Fist obliterated the rock into particles.

As the boulder was gone, Nero grinned in triumph as he saw the pack of beasts run away.

"That's right! Run away, you freaks! And next time, maybe you'll think twice when you decide to mess with a half-demon l'Cie!" he warned.

With a tug of his coat, he walked backed to the astonished group, and tossed a bag on the Pulsian Huntress' lap. "I brought dinner."

Fang smirked. "Why do you have to make things complicated, Pretty Boy?"

He shrugged. "Hey. Ain't my fault if some mindless beasts want to try to jack something from me. Anyone who steals my catch is gonna get it."

She examined the contents of the bag. "Where'd you get this meat?"

"Oh that? Yeah, I got that from this huge beast. I'm not kidding, it was FREAKIN' huge!" The boy extended his arms to the side to support his claim.

Vanille gasped. "You mean... You killed an Adamantoise?"

Nero rubbed his neck. "Well, I don't know if it's called an Adamantoise, but it was already dead when I found it. Strangely, the thing was covered in drool."

"I see. Titan probably ate it up and spat it out... Hold up, you saying this meat's covered in fal'Cie drool?" shouted Fang.

"No! The meat's from the inside of the thing. I'm not stupid, Fang," Nero shot back.

Snow spoke up. "Uh... Who's Titan?"

Vanille answered him. "Titan's the Gran Pulse fal'Cie responsible for taking care of Gran Pulse's ecosystem. He eats many species and gives birth to new ones, thereby preventing the death of all living things on the planet."

"So he makes all the animals that are trying to eat each other," observed Snow.

"And us," added Sazh.

Nero looked around. "Say, where's Hope?"

"Hope's still getting supplies. He should be back soon," assured Lightning.

Suddenly, a small chirp was heard, and the chocobo chick dashed past Fang's shoulder.

"Whoa. Hello there," greeted Fang.

The baby chick fluttered and flew to Sazh's hands. "You all by yourself, little fella?"

It continued to chirp at him, but then flew to the top of Vanille's head. It then hovered on the seat between both the Pulsian natives. Nero noticed that the chick's movements were frantic, as if panicking.

Then he realized something. "Hey. Isn't Hope supposed to be with this guy?"

Everyone looked at him, and then at the chick. It flew to Vanille's hands, and she lifted it close to her face. She listened to its chirping, as if understanding it. Suddenly, she gasped in shock.

"Oh no! His brand!"

Every gasped in shock. Nero walked forward. "Where is Hope?" he demanded, his voice sounding urgent.

The small chick hovered out of the girl's hands, and flew in the direction it came.

"After it!" said Snow, as everyone followed the path it took.

As they went further in, Nero gritted his teeth in annoyance. Up ahead was a group of Alraune, and Flans. More importantly, a larger Flan, a Dire Flan, was in the middle.

However, the group would not falter.

"I don't have time for this!" Nero shouted. He revved up the Red Queen to its third Exceed level, and did a three-sixty-spin. When he swung his sword, a wave of fire seared through the creatures, incinerating them immediately. They all fell to the might of his EX Streak.

The group continued on, until they came upon a cliff with a rivulet. On its edge, was the unconscious form of their friend.

"HOPE!" called Snow, as the group ran towards the boy.

Nero slid down next to him, and lifted the boy up. His Bringer hand reached for the boy's neck. "I can feel a pulse... He'll be okay."

"But we've gotta get him back to camp," urged Lightning.

Nero carried the boy bridal-style, and turned to group. "Lead the way."

-Base Camp, Three Hours Later-

The sound of crackling fire was drowned out by the sound of a revving engine. The smell in the air composed of sizzling meat and the hand-made vegetable oil provided by Fang. After a short while, the steaks were tender enough to eat.

Holding the Red Queen carefully, he carried the slices to his friends. He had torn metal pieces of the ship, so that they act as substitutes for plates.

Nero walked over to Snow, who was sitting in front of the campfire, and handed him his steak. He then approached Lightning, who was leaning on a piece of metal tubing, and gave her the steak intended for her. Nero then gave Fang, who was sitting on a piece of debris nearby, her own slice. The boy then went to Sazh, who was sitting across the campfire from Snow, and gave him his piece. Finally, Nero made his way to Vanille, was sitting on a blanket with the unconscious Hope.

He knelt to her level, and placed her piece on her plate, smiling at her as she smiled back. He then sat down next to her, and put the last two steaks on his own plate, knowing Hope would be hungry when he woke up.

Everyone then proceeded to eat their meal, albeit at their own pace.

"I would've put salt on 'em, but unfortunately, we don't have any," he explained. "Still, not bad for my first dish."

Silence followed. It became annoying after a while, so Nero broke it.

"I never got to ask before, but did you guys find anything?" asked the half-demon l'Cie.

The soldier shook her head. "No. All we found were ruined buildings, and whole big pile of nothing."

"Wait up. So you're telling me, that in whole two weeks that we've been here, we've come up with jack squat?" he asked. Sazh's heavy sigh was the response. "Shit..."

It indeed had been two weeks since they had arrived on the planet. Thinking to himself, Nero then realized that it had been almost a month since he left Earth. In that time, much had changed. He knew the truth about himself. In the time between, he had finally accepted the fact that he was the son of Sparda's eldest child, Vergil. However, he often wondered about who was brave enough to love such a person. But now and then, he reminded himself that he would get the answer to that from Vergil. And what made it even more meaningful, was that he was going to get that answer when said man was on the ground, begging for his life.

Despite this, the group as a whole still had no clue about what to do next. And now, time was running out for one of them. Fang had revealed that Hope's brand was in its last stages. In time, if their Focus was still incomplete, the boy would become a Cie'th.

And Nero, as well as everyone else, was not about to let that happen.

Snow then stood up in frustration. "So this it? Is this how things end?"

"Now just hold up a second," interjected the afro man. "Now, think about what's happened since we left Cocoon, okay? We haven't seen a single soul for miles, and we haven't found any clues about this whole l'Cie mess! Not to mention our shortage of info on Sparda, and how he got his mark removed."

Noticing Snow's annoyed expression, Light intervened. "Is there a point to what you're saying, Sazh?"

The pilot sighed. "Look. All I'm saying, is that we did pretty good to make it this far..."

Nero scowled, but then noticed that Vanille had left her spot and approached both men.

"But you know... We could go a bit further," she suggested.

Sazh cocked an eyebrow in intrigue. "Meaning?"

"Well... There is one place... We haven't checked," she revealed.

"Vanille!" snapped the Pulsian woman, getting the group's attention. "Are you sure about this?"

Her friend nodded with confidence. "Yes... I'm sure of it."

Nero stood up from his spot. "If you don't mind me interrupting, where exactly are you guys talking about?"

Vanille turned to him. "The only place we haven't checked is our home. The village of Oerba."

Lightning moved away from the spot she was leaning on. "You know, if we go through with this, and still find nothing, we may not have another chance."

"But still, better that, than to stay here and do nothing, right?" reasoned Snow.

"Oe... Oerba..." Everyone looked behind them, to see that their sleeping companion had finally awoken.

"Kid!" exclaimed Nero.

Hope's arm reached upwards. "Oerba... The place where it all began. The place where the Pulse fal'Cie lay dreaming. Vanille and Fang's home..."

The boy then looked at his left wrist, noticing the changes from the last time his eyes had seen it.

"Just maybe... It'll be where we finally find the answers we're searching for..."

Nobody said anything, but Nero did. "Then I guess we've got no choice. It's Oerba, or nothing"

Fang scoffed. "Puh, yeah right. If we can get there."

Hope slowly tried to sit up. "Listen, guys. Just... Just leave me here. Go on without me..."

Vanille grabbed his arm. "B- But we can't leave you!"

"She's right, kid. That's crazy talk," supported Nero.

Hope raised his hand, to gesture that he was fine. "N- No, guys. It's okay... I'll be fine."

He stood up. "You've all taught me so much... How to fight..." The boy then walked forward, but suddenly stumbled forward.

Fortunately, Snow caught him. "C'mon, Hope. What'd I tell you? Leave the fighting to me!"

Hope leaned against the man's side, as a worried expression appeared on his face.

"I'm... I'm scared," he whimpered.

Lightning walked up to him, and gently put her hand on his shoulder. "Listen, Hope. We understand. You're not going through this ordeal alone, you know."

She pulled his chin upwards, so that he could look at her. Nero noticed that, for the first time, Lightning had a genuine smile on her face. He was surprised that such a silent, and somewhat distant, person such as her could have a what some would consider a pretty smile.

Hope, however, still remained unconvinced. "B- But that's what scares me! I don't... I don't want to see any of you get hurt because of me!"

"But that's why we should stick together," reasoned Nero. He walked up to the boy, and stood next to Lightning. "Someone told me once... That if you have people who are willing to help you, let them. That, way, things are easier to face! Strength in numbers."

Hope remained somber. "But... But what if something does happen? What if something happens because of me, and there's nothing that can be done to change it?"

Nero opened his mouth to say something, but could not think of anything to say. He looked at everyone, and saw that no would say anything. He thought to himself, and his response finally came.

"Listen, kid. I ain't gonna lie to you. In life, there are some things that happen that are out of our control. Now, I ain't saying that this whole Focus crap is beyond our control, because it's not."

"However, in this case, I'm talking about the stuff that happens after this. Some things take us on head on, and they don't hold back. But here's the thing, kid. It's what we do after that defines who we are."

He put his left hand on the boy's shoulder. "But know this. You've got us, and your dad. We're here for you, and we'll take care of you if you need it."

Hope was still unconvinced, and placed his hand on his face. "But- But what if I'm not strong enough? What- What if one of us ends up dying because of me? What if-"

"No more "what ifs," Hope!" Nero blurted. "I'm not going to let anything happen to you, or anyone, alright? Just trust me, kid. I'll always find a way."

He hand clutched the boy's shoulder.

Hope almost began to shed tears. "But... Out of all of us, I'm the weakest link... No. It'd be better for everyone if just stay behind!"

Suddenly, Nero felt his Bringer go off. At that same moment, Hope's brand began to glow brightly. Then, a large symbol appeared on the ground, pushing the entire group backwards, while Hope was in the middle. Four triangular shapes surrounded him, when four beams shot to the sky.

-Sulyya Springs-

Vergil watched as a bright green light illuminated the night sky.

"So the young boy has finally resigned to his fate..."

-Base Camp-

From the bright light, a large being fell hard to the ground, right in front of the boy. It was covered in gold armor, large golden gauntlets and grieves. A pair of shoulder guards, with four purple rings hanging from them. Its face was covered in a black mask, with golden designs, and what looked like a crown on it. This was the Light Eidolon, Alexander.

Lightning, and Fang jumped backwards, to avoid the shock wave. Sazh, Snow, and Vanille were forced onto their backs from the force of the impact. Nero rolled on his back, but used the momentum to get on his feet, sliding back a few inches.

He quickly unsheathed his Red Queen, and ran up to Hope, with Light and Fang, taking out the Blazefire Saber and the Bladed Lance .

"Mention ordeals, and look what comes our way!" remarked Fang.

"No!" corrected Light. "It's not an ordeal, but a gift!" She then glanced to Hope. "Listen to me, Hope. This is the kind of power that you have inside, and it's telling you to not give up! Trust me!"

Catching on to what she was saying, Fang twirled her lance. "Oh, I get it! This thing's here to show you the way! To show you that you've got what it takes to get back on your feet, do this thing!"

Hope felt a hand on his shoulder, and looked at Nero. "This is your power, Hope. The power within you! It came from you, and this is your time to prove that you can do this! And believe me... You can do this!"

Hope's eyes slowly went to the Eidolon. "This power... You mean... That thing came from me?"

The boy looked up at the armored creature before him. It looked down at him, and surprisingly, it nodded at him.

_"The time has come, young master."_

Seeing the Eidolon's action, Hope's eyes narrowed in determination. He went to the front of the group, and took out his Airwing boomerang.

Smirking to himself, Nero revved his Red Queen. "Ready, kid?"

Hope glanced at him. "Ready!"

The group then charged forward, ready to do battle.

-Eden Hospital-

"... are all fractured, and internal bleeding. I'm afraid... He can never go back into the field..."

Yaag Rosch stared at his disfigured friend, Gaylor Leunam, through the see-through glass. A neck brace was over his neck, and bandages were wrapped around his upper torso. His cybernetic arm had been severely damaged, and was removed. A medical patch covered his right eye.

Rosch sighed. "I see... It is for the best, I suppose. What treatments have been done to aid him?"

The nurse looked at the clipboard in her arms. "Well, we've been able to do many operations to put him through the pain. We actually finished a blood transfusion an hour ago. I believe one of the soldiers he commanded brought us the donation."

The Lieutenant Colonel nodded. "Very well, then. I leave you to your duties, madame." He then walked away.

Gaylor remained quiet as ever. Pain enveloped his entire body. He remembered who caused it. That boy and his ragtag group. How he hated them... He wanted to get his hands on them, and tear them apart. He wanted them to suffer mercilessly and slowly. Yes... Especially him... He came up with an idea. He was going to beat the boy down so hard, the entirety of body would be paralyzed with pain. However, he would not kill him. First, the boy would watch as he slaughtered each and every one of his friends. One by one, the screams of their pain would forever be etched into the boy's memory.

And once they were all disfigured beyond recognition, the brat would finally have his permission to die.

Suddenly, Gaylor felt some of his pain disappear. It had worked. The blood sample from the Son of Sparda was working.

He painfully clutched his right hand in anticipation, as his left eye opened. His iris was red.

-Base Camp-

Nero crossed his arms, as he took the full force of Alexander's Blast Punch. He was then blown away when another fist exploded, revealing the attack to be an Explosive Fist.

Landing on his bottom, Nero looked up at the golem, and noticed that it gestured him to come at him. Alexander was Lofty Challenging Nero, taunting him.

"Oh, hell no." Nero, charged at him again, as Hope shot blasts of Aero, Water, Blizzard, and Fire.

Fang separated her lance, held both ends as blades, and jumped into the air. She swung her blades left and right, and connected them again, allowing her to land hard swat at its face.

Alexander sent her backwards with a Blast Punch, and then sent an Explosive Fist at Lightning as she attempted to swipe at its head.

Noticing Nero running towards him in rage, Alexander swung its arm down in a Steelcrusher, attempting to crush the Grandson of Sparda. Nero summoned his Demon Avatar, and caught the approaching fist. This, however, left him open and defenseless, and the Light Eidolon swung a Soaring Uppercut at him, instantly causing him to dismiss the Avatar, and sending him flying into the air. He fell on his back hard.

Alexander then began to approach Hope. Due to its large size, its movement was rather slow, Hope used the time to fire as many spells as he could. At this point, Hope had gotten used to using spells to inflict damage on opponents. He was now known as the "mage" of the group.

Fang was getting up from the ground, when she felt a sharp pain was felt on the side of her arm, where her brand was. It shone brightly, as a Crystal Petal appeared.

On the ground, Nero began to feel his brand burn. He knew what was occurring now. Over the last few days, he had come up with a name for when this would happen. He was about to Junction with Fang's Eidolith.

The Crystal Petal flew towards Nero, and impaled itself on his brand, sinking into his arm. After a few seconds, a huge cyclone surrounded Nero, levitating from the ground. Inside the cyclone, he was surrounded with a grey aura, and let out a roar, transforming into his new Devil Trigger Form.

When the cyclone disappeared, Nero had a new appearance. His arms, save for the Devil Bringer, and were covered in blue feathers, as well as his torso, and down to his shins. His hair was spiked upwards with white feathers, and his feet were replaced with black talons. In his Bringer hand was glaive, with three sharp blades. He had transformed into Aerus Nero.

Twirling his glaive, Nero glanced at Hope. **"Ready to finish this, kid?"**

Hope nodded. "Right. Time to show what I'm made of!"

Alexander fired an Explosive Fist at Nero, but he jumped into the air, and remained there. This transformation allowed him to use any air-related abilities, such as the power of flight. He spun in mid-air, and threw Aerus at the Eidolon, and it cut through it. It then went through it again to return to Nero, who caught it with flair.

Using the momentum of the catch, he then spun rapidly, and zoomed towards Alexander, hitting him dead on. This caused Alexander to lose its balance; something that the young boy noticed.

Hope launched a blast of Firaga at the golem, and sent it on its bottom.

Nero clutched his glaive with both hands, and separated them, producing twin glaives.

**"I'm gonna blow you away!"** he shouted.

He tossed both Aerus glaives to side, only to circle around him. Soon, they began to gain speed, and created a tornado. With the cry of an eagle, Nero launched the Hurricane Toss at Alexander. The force of the attack sent the Eidolon flying upwards into the air.

Aerus Nero snapped at Hope. **"Finish him off!"**

Hope nodded, and summoned a Ruinga. With all of his might, he sent it at Alexander, where it hit the Eidolon right in the chest.

It feel on its knees, crushing the earth beneath it. It looked up at the boy, and extended its closed fist slowly. Knowing what it wanted, Hope extended his arm, and pounded his fist with the Eidolon's.

Then, in a surge of light, Alexander was gone.

Hope then felt a hand on his shoulder. He looked over his shoulder to see Nero, back in his human form, and a grin on his face.

"See? Told you could do it," he said.

Everyone walked forward. "Wow. That's some beast you just tamed, son," complimented Sazh.

Hope then looked at his brand. "Yeah... You know, all this time, I thought Eidolons were supposed to free us by killing us. But now... I think that they just want to help us get out of our depressing ruts."

Snow chuckled. "Oh. You mean like the one you had just now?"

Hope gave she small grin. "Heheh... Yeah. I'll ask you guy's for help next time."

Suddenly, Hope was being hugged by Vanille. "See? It's just like I told you! On Gran Pulse, we're all family! Moan all you want, but you're stuck with us no matter what!"

Nero looked around the group. "Am I the only one here, who thinks that kid's got a thing for Vanille?"

Blushing, Hope snapped at him. "S- Stop it!"

Everyone laughed, causing Hope's face to blush even more.

"It's alright, kid," assured Sazh. "No one's ever alone in Hell!"

Fang then slapped the back of his head. "Hey, Funnyman! Stop calling this place Hell!"

"She's got a point, Sazh," supported Nero. "Hell would have a larger population of demons."

Sazh only sighed. "Gosh, do we love picking on each other."

Lightning finally spoke up. "So... I guess that means we're all decided, right?"

Snow, Sazh, and Hope nodded at her.

"Yeah," confirmed Fang.

"Yep," added Vanille.

Everyone turned to Nero. He shrugged.

"It's like I said. Oerba, or nothing. One more strike, and we're out," he explained.

Nero looked at the group. He noticed that, for the first time since they arrived, everyone had the same look of determination that they had when they decided to go to Gran Pulse.

He remembered when he spoke to Serah, and how she had told him that having someone around to help made one stronger.

Thinking about it, he realized that most of his life, he had been away from people. Not once, did he have the opportunity to open up to people. But here, he easily got along with these people. Back on Earth, he never once believed that he would have people like this in his life. And he never once believed anyone would have him.

But that was the past. This was now.

Nero smiled to himself. Perhaps nothing would've changed. Perhaps they would find a dead end in Oerba.

It did not matter whether or not they found something from the past, or possibly the smallest glimmer of hope.

One thing was for certain.

Their last journey together had begun.

Ch. 27: A Day in the Archylte Steppe

Seeking the path to Oerba, the group decides to briefly separate, and find the path to their allies' hometown. Each pair faces different challenges as they go. Will they find the way?

**AN: I hate writing Eidolon fights.**

**Props to Ten-Faced Paladin for coming up with the term "Junctioning."**

**Anyways, here are my announcements.**

**1. I plan to write a small side story of Devil Fantasy XIII and Tekken. However, this will only happen after I finish this story.**

**2. Uhh... I'm not going to make Nero and Lightning fall for each other, YET. In this story, I'm going to make them begin to care for each other, but they won't ask why until DFXIII-2.**

**My reasoning for this, is because character-love-at-first-sight is what keeps great stories from being better than they should. In life, most people don't go out, and just say they love each other. They have to be sure. So yeah, I hope that doesn't upset some of you. There will be moments of Nero and Lightning with emotion, so don't worry about that.**

**3. I do plan to do the prequel of DFXIII. However, I can only say that it may be a few years from now. So please be patient.**

**Other than that, thank you all again for the 200 reviews! **

**And remember... READ AND REVIEW!**


	28. A Day in the Archylte Steppe

**Capcom and Square-Enix own DMC and FFXIII respectively. AN: Wow. A lot of reviews came my way since I last updated! I forgot to mention something in the last chapter. When I'm finished with this story, I plan to rewrite the beginning chapters. I feel that they should be more detailed, now that I'm at this level of writing. I'm redoing the first chapter, and adding new details to the others. The current cover is thanks to fellow author, Beyond my mask.**

Archylte Steppe- A Day in the Archylte Steppe

-Archylte Steppe-

The group exited the path, and finally reached the plains before them. Hope led the way, as everyone followed.

In front of them, a pack of Gorgonopsids were fighting against a Kaiser Behemoth. And strangely, this was how things usually were around in the Steppe. Nothing more than a regular day in the Archylte Steppe.

As they walked onward, a something rose from the ground. Upon further inspection, it was a floating crystal, that had a blue hue to it, and a bronze circular arc behind, but was cut off at the bottom. It had the form of a person as well.

Vanille gasped. "This stone! It's a-"

Lightning stood next to her. "This thing familiar to you?"

Fang spoke up. "This thing's a Cie'th. It's in its last stages."

Hearing the name made Nero reach for his gun. "A Cie'th?"

"It's okay," assured Vanille. "It's not a threat to anyone anymore."

"You see, l'Cie that fail their focus here, are forced to become Cie'th. They are burdened with wandering the wolds forever, until they lose the will to go on... And they turn into stone. A Cie'th Stone."

"But, even after it becomes a Cie'th Stone, it can never forget the Focus that it once had."

"Yep," added Fang. "Whenever l'Cie pass by, they call out again, and again: "Complete my Focus.""

Sazh looked at the Stone in sympathy. "So that thing's doomed to an eternity of regret and suffering... Wow. That ain't pretty."

Snow walked up to it. "Hey guys... I think we should help it!"

Nero glanced at the man. "Come again?"

Snow looked at the group. "Come on, I mean we can't just leave it like this. Think about it. That could be us suffering like that, if we fail our focus."

"That's a happy thought. That ain't like you," replied Sazh.

"Going out of his way to help someone? That's Snow in a nutshell," commented Lightning.

"But, we still have to find a way to Oerba," reminded Hope. "We can't just go around wasting time."

Nero scratched his head. "But... Isn't that why we're here? To go to Oerba?"

"Exactly," answered Lightning. "Vanille, where do we go?"

The girl raised her finger. "Okay! So, we go... Err..."

The group watched as she looked around the area. Mumbling to herself, she finally turned to the group. "I forgot..."

"WHAT!" shouted Fang. "Vanille, how can you forget the way to Oerba? It should be engraved into your head!"

"I'm sorry, Fang! I don't know, but when I think about it, I just can't remember," she explained.

"Say, Fang. Don't you know the way?" asked Sazh.

She pointed her right thumb at herself. "Of course I know! It's over..."

She then looked at one direction, and then another. After a short while, she turned to group in frustration.

"DAMN IT!" she shouted. "Why can't I remember?"

Hope rubbed his chin. "Forgetting memories that should be hard to forget? I wonder... Maybe Barthandelus had something to do with that."

"I wouldn't doubt it. That old coot can pretty much mess with our heads in crystal stasis," agreed Nero.

"But still... That means we have no idea where to go," admitted Light.

Everyone remained silent, until Snow spoke up. "Hey, Vanille. How do you tell the Cie'th Stone that you'll do the Focus?"

"You're not still serious about the whole "help the Cie'th out" business, are you?" asked the afro pilot.

"Well, yeah! And who knows? Maybe if we do it, we may even find the way to Oerba!" he reasoned. "Look, I know its a long shot, but it's worth the effort, right?" He turned to the girl. "So, how do we accept its Focus?"

Vanille rubbed her chin in thought, remembering how the method was done. After a few seconds, she gasped in realization. She pointed at a piece of loose crystal.

"To take up the Focus of a Cie'th Stone, you must take a piece of the Cie'th Stone's crystal. It won't tell you where to find the location of where the Focus must be fulfilled, but when you're close, the crystal will begin to shine as bright as a star."

Snow examined the Stone carefully, and then reached out to it. When he fully gripped the piece of crystal, he gave it a small tug, which was enough to tear off a piece.

Snow looked at the crystal. "That easy, huh-"

"SEE!" blurted Nero suddenly. "There it is! That huge thing!"

Looking at the boy as if he were insane, everyone looked at where he was pointing at. To their surprise, they saw a giant golem creature that stood above the cliffs.

"Oh that? That's Titan. I told you guys about him yesterday, 'member?" said Fang.

"Yeah, I know. But I told you guys that fucker was huge!" he exclaimed.

"Nero, you wanna watch your mouth there?" advised Sazh.

Nero glanced at him, and then to the group. "Did he just lecture me about how I talk?"

"I don't see why not. You do have in issue with cussing," said Lightning, which earned her a glare from the devil hunter.

"Proper behavior aside, where's that thing go to anyway?" he asked.

"Well," began Vanille. "Titan's Throne is found on the eastern side of the Steppe. He lives in the Faultwarrens."

"However, Titan rarely associates with humans," added Fang. "But, to gain the fal'Cie's respect, one must go through the Trials of Titan. And as far as I know, only few have managed to attempt 'em. Only one person completed them."

"Let me guess. Sparda?" Nero guessed.

"Yep," confirmed the Huntress.

"Wow. The guy lived for so long, he pretty much did everything there is to do, huh?" he commented.

"One would think," was her reply.

Nero crossed his arms. "Titan, huh?" He continued to stare at the fal'Cie for a few seconds, before speaking up.

"Hey guys... Seeing as how we don't know where Oerba's at, what do you say we split up?"

Lightning gave him suspicious look. "Split up? Why would we want to do that?"

"Well, think about it. We have no idea about when our brands cave in. I think looking around in groups would save us a lot time, don't ya think?" he explained.

Her eyes furrowed in thought. "Hmm. You've got a point. But how do we know this isn't some attempt to sneak away from us, and go look for Vergil?"

He waved her off. "Don't worry. I can't sense him around the Steppe. If he were anywhere around here, you'd guys be the first to know."

Snow looked at Light. "See? Plus, we might be able to finish this Stone's Focus, and maybe find the way to Oerba!"

"Yeah, but where would _we_ look?" asked the young boy, heavily pronouncing the word.

Nero shrugged. "I don't know. But I know where I'm going." He then began to walk away.

"Hey, Pretty Boy, where you goin'?" called Fang.

He stopped, and pointed at the fal'Cie. "I'm gonna go check out this Titan."

Fang scoffed. "And you think he'll want to talk to you? That fal'Cie thinks that us l'Cie shouldn't live."

"I'll convince him. I just want ask if he knows where Oerba is. If he sends any trials my way, that's his problem," he explained.

"Hey, think about this Nero. We don't know what's over there," Sazh reasoned. "Something might pop up, that'll be too tough to handle. Even for you."

"Well aren't we cheerful, today," murmured the devil hunter. "Look, guys. I can handle myself. Plus, we need to find Oerba fast."

"But going by yourself is reckless. Even a half-demon has limits," chided Lightning.

He flashed a grin at her. "Well, it's a good thing I don't know 'em."

Fang let out a sigh. "Forget it, Light. He ain't gonna let up. He's just as hard-headed as his grandpa."

Stroking the bridge of her nose, the soldier let out an irritated sigh, "Fine. If that's what we're doing, then we should assign groups."

Snow put his arm around her shoulder. "Yeah! So, me and Light are gonna go help the Cie'th out. We might find a clue on the way, too!"

"Get... Your arm... Off of me," she venomously seethed.

Chuckling nervously, he did as she demanded.

"I guess I'll be goin' with Funnyman Sazh here," Fang informed. "We'll head to the west part of the Steppe. Might be something interesting that'll help us out."

The chocobo chick chirped loudly, as it hovered around the afro man.

"Yeah, yeah. You can come along too," replied Sazh.

Vanille then hugged Hope. "Then I guess that leaves me and Hope!"

Noticing the boy's blushing face, Nero smirked. "Looks like you and Vanille finally get some alone time, eh kid?"

Hearing that, Hope's face reddened further, as he stuttered continuously. "St- S- S- St- Stop that!"

"And you're gonna go to Titan, right?" asked Sazh to the devil hunter.

"Yup. We're an odd group, so one group would be carrying to many people. Monsters would easily notice us."

"Then it's settled," concluded Lightning. "We'll meet back at camp, and discuss anything we've found."

"Sounds good to me," agreed Nero. He turned around, and began walking away. "Laters!" He then ran off in a full sprint.

"Well, he was in a hurry to get away," muttered Fang.

Sazh shrugged his shoulders. "Well, c'mon. Let's go searchin'." Both went to the west.

The four l'Cie watched them as they left. Snow then went to the Cie'th Stone. "Alright, let's see what your Focus was..."

Hope felt a tug on his shirt, and turned to the Pulsian girl. "Say, Hope... Where are we going?"

The boy let out a sigh. "Right. We never decided on where we were going, huh?"

He closed his eyes in thought, as Vanille cupped her chin.

"Why don't we just follow Nero? I mean, there might be something he might miss on the way to Titan," she suggested.

Hope thought about what she said. It was true that Nero usually did things his way, which thankfully fell along the lines of the group's goals. However, when he did his own thing, he was dead set on doing it, which was a quality... In some cases.

"Yeah," he answered. "Everyone else has their place to look, so I'm sure he wouldn't mind."

Both teens followed after the devil hunter.

-Arid Strath-

Gunshots teared the gelatinous skin of the Dire Flan. Whatever was left dissolved into the ground.

Sazh separated his makeshift rifle into his two Vega 42s. He glanced over his shoulder, to see Fang pulling both sides of her Bladed Lance, and joined them together.

"Well. They don't exactly count as a clue, do they?" joked Sazh.

"But that doesn't mean there's nothing out here. Let's keep goin,'" she urged.

Sighing, he put both pistols in their holsters, and followed her. They climbed up a small ledge, and trekked down the path. It was that moment, when something caught the afro man's senses.

It was a smell that was foul to some, but relieving to the man.

"Oh... Aw man, that stench!" he blurted. "Wait... I... I know it. I know that stench!"

He suddenly laughed in eagerness, like a child staring at a candy store. He ran down the path, laughing as he did so. Fang only watched, as she put a hand on her hip.

-Font of Namva-

"Ha, ha! I knew it! Goddamn, I knew it!" Sazh laughed.

A watering hole was before him, with various smaller ponds closer to him. But that was not what caught his attention.

"Hey, there you are! How you guys doin'?" he called.

A chocobo's head popped at to look at him. Then another looked at him. Then another, and another.

"Are you kidding me? This many chocobo's?" he laughed.

The chocobos then went back to their business. Sazh then noticed that small chocobo chicks were chirping on the ground in front of him.

"Hey, hey, Look what we've got here! New friends for you, little guy!" he told the chocobo, as he knelt. "Why don't you go say hi?"

The small baby chocobo fluttered to the ground, but messed up the landing. It rolled over to one the chicks, startling it.

The other chocobo turned around, chirping furiously, as if asking who had pushed it. But it stopped as it looked at Sazh's chocobo.

Sazh chuckled as he stood up. "Heheh. You keep growin' like that, and you'll be bigger than me before long, won't you?"

He watched as the chocobo fluttered with another, after which they did a flying upward loop.

He smiled at the scene. It looked happy among its kind.

"Maybe..." he wondered. "Maybe it'd be best to let you stay here. Maybe it's time to say goodbye..."

Suddenly, something hit him in the face. The chocobo was hovering in front of his face.

"Hey, hey! Easy, ther-"

The chick charged at him again, making him fall backwards.

"Oh, c'mon. Hey, I was just kidding!"

The baby chocobo, no longer furious at the pilot, landed on his hand.

"Yeah, I know." He looked up to the sky. Cocoon floated there, motionless and majestic. It was there, that the Sanctum kept his crystallized son.

"You're with me until the day Dajh wakes up... But it could be long time, so who knows?"

He sighed, as the chocobo chick flew into his afro. He kept looking at the floating continent, when he heard a noise behind him.

Sazh looked over his shoulder, and quickly jumped to his feet. Standing behind him was Fang.

"Hey, what the- Wh- What are you doin'? You watchin' me or something, or... Somethin'?"

She gave an amused smirk. "No. Just didn't want to interrupt."

Unbeknownst to both l'Cie, bubbles were surfacing close to the shore. A chocobo noticed this, and stepped back. Slowly, a lizard's head surfaced. Frills extended from its green reptilian skin. As it ascended further a round shield was attached to its right arm. It had an oversized claw on its left arm.

Then another popped out. This one had a helmet. Both the shield and helmet were made of a bone-like material.

With a loud hiss, more monsters surfaced from the water. Chocobos squawked in fear, as they ran away from the oncoming Assaults.

Sazh and Fang heard the commotion, and ran to see what was happening. Both gasped at the sight of the creatures.

"Wh- What the hell are those things?" shouted Sazh.

"Those freaks... Are demons, mate," answered Fang.

"D- Demons?" asked Sazh in a panicked tone. "Where's Nero when you need him?"

Sniffing the air, the Assaults then turned to look at the two l'Cie.

"Faaang... Why're they lookin' at us?" asked the afro man.

Fang slowly reached for her lance. "Why? Because from the look of things, I'd say that it's their lunchtime. And I guess it's been a while since they've had human."

Sazh gulped. "Well, no offense, but I ain't in the mood for lunch right now."

One of the demons jerked backwards. It jerked again, but its claw snapped into the air, grabbing something. Upon closer inspection, a baby chocobo struggled to escape the Assault's grip.

In a swift moment, Sazh's chocobo flew out of the afro, and charged onto the Assault's face. It stumbled briefly, causing it to let go of the other baby chick. But as quickly as it let go, it snatched both baby chicks with both hands.

Snickering to itself, it stopped when a bullet went through its head. The chocobos flew away from the dissolving Assault, and back to Sazh.

"Not a bad shot, old man," complimented the Pulsian huntress.

"I ain't old. But I sure as hell ain't gonna let my chocobo, or any other baby chick, get eaten by these freaks," he declared.

The other Assaults growled at the duo, beginning to circle around them.

"Well congrats, Funnyman. You got their attention. Let's hope you've got the skills to fight 'em," she warned.

Then suddenly, an Assault jumped at her, but she swatted it away with her lance. She separated both sides, and impaled the fallen demon, and another that lunged for her. She used the side that the Assault's head was impaled on to swing in a circular arc to send two other demons flying away.

Sazh fired a Firaga, and blasted the demons, incinerating some. He joined his pistols together, making a rifle, and shot an oncoming Assault in the head. He separated them, and shot two demons; one in the head, and another in the gut.

'Whoa. So that must be how Dante felt when he was gunslinging,' Sazh thought.

The man jumped back, as a demon lunged for him. He tried to scurry away, but the A lizard demon attacked. It flew away, due to Fang's strike.

She extended her hand to the man, and pulled him up. "Never let your guard down to demons. Any other creature is forgivable."

"Thanks for the tip." He glanced at the remaining three demons. "Let me put 'em out of their misery."

He twirled his guns expertly, and aimed at the demons. "Y'know? I almost feel sorry for ya!"

He fired two magic-powered shots, at one with his right pistol, and two more with his left one. He then shot four shots over his back. He then shot more shots at the other two. He leaned backwards, and stood on one foot for show. Finally, he pointed his guns in the air.

"Say goodbye!" he said, as the two shots flew to the last Assault. All three demons fell to the ground, dead.

Sazh sighed as he put the guns in his holsters. "I hate demons."

Fang put her lance away, scowling at the dissolving demons. "Who doesn't?"

Sazh then flinched when his baby chocobo flew to his face, flapping its wings, and chirping with joy. It flew around his head, which caused him to lose his balance.

Before he fell to the ground, though, two adult chocobos lifted him into the air, by propelling him upwards with their heads. He shouted in the air, but landed on the something soft, only to be propelled up again. The entire pack of chocobos threw him up and down, squawking in joy. Fang could only chuckle as the chocobos cheered for Sazh.

After a few minutes, and Sazh's protests, the afro man landed on the back of a chocobo. Still somewhat startled, he carefully dismounted it, waving at it in a friendly gesture.

"Hehe, thanks a bunch," he said dizzily.

He stumbled backwards, but Fang caught the man's shoulder. "Well, look at you! You're a hero to them chocobos, old man."

"I'm not old," he corrected. He watched, as the chocobo chick was saying farewell to the other baby chicks. When it did, it fluttered back to the two l'Cie.

"Whelp, I guess this ain't the way to Oerba... Guess we should be getting back to camp, huh?" said Fang.

The man shrugged. "Yep. Nothin' here but a bunch of chocobos minding their own business."

"Hey before we go, I'm gonna refill my water jug. You need to refill yours?" asked the huntress.

He shook his head, waving his hand. "Nah. I'm good."

As she walked away, the pilot called back to her.

"Say, Fang... Thanks. If you hadn't shown up, I probably wouldn't have taken these guys on."

She waved her hand dismissively. "Aw, don't mention, Sazh. Like I said, I didn't want to interrupt the moment you and the chick were havin'."

Sazh then noticed that her expression had changed. It became a nervous look, with a hint of regret.

"And well... I didn't exactly know where to begin... Y'know, about your son."

Fang was surprised to see that he had raised his hand, indicating to stop.

"You can stop right there, then. What happened to my boy... It wasn't your fault," he assured.

"Bu- But Sazh-"

He shook his head. "Nope. You've already got enough things on your shoulders to worry about. Adding more would only be bad for you."

"Plus, I'm the one who wasn't watching him, when I should've. Letting him outta my sight like that... That mistake's on me, and me alone."

Sazh then walked away from her, heading towards the exit.

"So that's it? You're just going to deal with it on your own?" she asked in a frustrated tone.

The afro man replied with a confident laugh. "Nuh uh. You forget, Fang. I've got this little guy with me!" He pointed at the baby chocobo, that hovered above his afro.

He then indicated her. "And you. You still have Vanille, don't you? Finding her was what kept you going. So if I keep thinking about seein' Dajh, then I'm sure I'll get through this."

He then began to sniffle. "Aww... Look at me, trying to act all parenty, here..."

Sazh then felt a hand on his shoulder. He looked to his right, and saw that Vanille's friend was smiling at him.

"Well, don't give up just yet, Sazh. You're getting the hang of it." She went ahead of him, but looked back to him. "Really, I mean it."

Hearing her kind words did make him feel better. Wiping his tears away with his left forearm, he flashed a grin to the Pulsian native.

"Thanks, Fang. I mean it."

He then looked over his shoulder, to get one last look at Cocoon.

"I promise... I'll see you again."

He looked away, but then snapped his gaze back to Cocoon. "Uh... Fang?"

Fang looked back at him. "What?"

Sazh was pointing to the sky. Fang looked up to see what he was looking at.

Like the afro man, what she saw was something rare to behold.

"What in the..."

From where they stood, a long red beam could be seen. It was heading straight for the floating continent. However, it was too small to make any real damage.

"So, uh... You ever seen that before?" asked the pilot.

"Nope," answered Fang, not taking her eyes away from the sight.

"But I'm willing to bet that it has something to do with a certain someone we know."

-Western Benchland-

"So, uh... See anything yet?"

Lightning and Snow were walking in the western part of the Steppe. After hearing the voice of the Cie'th Stone, they were finally able to figure out the fallen l'Cie's Focus. It was tasked with eliminating an Ectopudding. And now, its Focus was theirs.

"No. Like the last ten times, I still don't see anything!" seethed Lightning.

Both were walking near a pond. The soldier knelt near its shore and took out a canister; one that the two Pulsians made days ago.

"We've been at this for a few hours, already. Don't you think that it's about time we searched for clues on Oerba?" she asked.

Snow shrugged, as he scratched his head. "Well, yeah... But don't you think we should keep searching for the monster?"

"Snow, we've searched the entire area. We would've found it by now. Continuing would be a waste of time," she reasoned.

Frowning in disappointment, the man sat down on a nearby rock. "Yeah, you're right... It's just that, well, I kinda wondered how it spent its last days wandering these plains in regret. Like I said, it could be us turning into Cie'th Stones one day. I'd just like to know that if I fail, if we fail, someone out there could finish what we started."

Groaning, Lightning turned to her sister's fiancée. "But that's the thing, Snow! We don't get a second chance after this! Whether it's us, or not, the fal'Cie will stop at nothing to destroy Cocoon. We can't waste time, nor can we take the chance of failure. There's too much at stake."

He closed his eyes, as his head bowed down. "Yeah, you're right. I guess... I guess I thought I was doing what Serah would do..."

The soldier's face softened. "What?"

Snow raised his hands in defense. "Before you go swingin' at me, let me explain what I mean."

"It's just that, Serah's so kind. Whenever she could, she would always help others. I mean, I know I like to help people, but Serah, she inspired me to help others even further. I guess in a way, she kinda rubbed off on me."

"But... It seems that every time I try to help, it just ends up hindering us! I don't know... Maybe I should just focus on our own problems before everyone else's..."

This caused for the soldier to silently gasp. To her knowledge, this was the second time that Snow had ever second guessed himself. It usually was not a good sign.

Sighing, she looked away and rubbed the back of her neck. "Listen, Snow... Don't believe in that kind of thinking. There's nothing wrong with your way of thinking."

The man glanced up at the woman in surprise. "Eh?"

"You heard me," she retorted. "Just because helping others leads us into trouble, doesn't mean that it's not the right thing to do. And truthfully, I don't see you as the type of guy to give the cold shoulder to someone in need of help."

Snow let out a small laugh. "Yeah. No arguin' that."

Letting out another sigh, she turned to face him. "Listen... Snow. There's something I need to tell you."

The man looked at her with a confused expression. "Eh?"

"Look," she began. "I know we've been through a lot. There have been times when you've helped us out a lot. And yet, there have also been many times when you turned out to be a complete idiot."

"Hey!"

"But... There is no denying that without you, and your spirit, we probably wouldn't have made it this far," she admitted.

Snow gasped in surprise and shock. Was Lightning, his possibly future sister-in-law, complimenting him? He then remembered their conversation at the Fifth Ark, but at that time, he realized she was trying to cheer him up. But now, she was actually complimenting him!

"You... You really mean that?" he asked.

Nodding, she turned to face him. "Yes. I really do. And... There's something I need to tell you."

The man's eyes widened slightly. "W- What?"

"Look, Snow..." She inhaled deeply, and exhaled the same way. "I-"

"Huh?" blurted Snow, as something began to shake in his pocket. He reached for it, and pulled something. In his hand was the shaking piece of the Cie'th Stone he had taken earlier, though it was glowing ominously..

"Hey, it's glowing! That means that the monster's near-"

Lightning then noticed that his had frowned into a horrified expression. Then he dashed for her.

"Look out!" he shouted, as he tackled her to the ground.

She was about to berate him for his action, but Lightning then felt a shock wave nearby. She looked up, and gasped at the sight of the monstrosity before them.

Before them was a large creature made of what seemed to be a gelatinous substance. It approached them, with its six legs, looking at them with its five bright yellow eyes, with wild tentacles flailing about behind its head. Throwing its arms to the sides, the Monstropudding roared at them.

"What the hell? That looks nothing like the Ectopudding that the stone described!" shouted Snow.

"I wonder... Maybe this thing's been living for so long, that it's consumed a lot of things, and it may have mutated it into this freak right here!" she observed.

"Say, you don't think that this guy ate one too many demons back in the day, do you?" asked Snow.

Roaring ferociously, the monster swung its large right claw down at the two l'Cie, which caused both of them to jump to the side. The hero noticed that the Monstropudding's claw was stuck, as it tried to pull it away. Using the opportunity, he attacked with two left and right straight punches, and finished his assault with strong kick upwards. The force of it caused the monster to retract its arm, yet, it did not seem irritated at all.

"Damn it!" cursed Snow. "It's like the thing doesn't even feel anything!"

"It's made of gelatin," called Lightning. "If we're going to kill it, we're going to have to find a way to remove the arms from the body!"

It then opened its humongous jaw, and spat blobs of goo at them. When they made contact with the ground, they exploded.

"Avoid those globs!" warned Snow, as he rolled away from an incoming glob bomb.

Lightning moved left and right to avoid the globs. She jumped backwards to avoid another one, but saw that another was coming too close to avoid. Thinking on instinct, she fired a blast of Blizzara at it. When it made contact, the glob froze instantly, and fell on the ground.

Looking in surprise, she then glanced at her partner. "Snow! It's vulnerable to ice! Hit it with ice spells!"

"Really?" he asked. He saw four globs flying towards him, and he sent a Blizzaga at them to test Lightning's theory. As soon as the blast exploded, the globs fell to the ground and shattered.

"Well, what do ya know? It worked!" he observed.

Suddenly, the Monstropudding swung its arm down at them. Both l'Cie jumped away from each other. Remembering what the soldier had told him, Snow quickly launched three Blizzards along the length of the arm. It instantly froze, rendering it useless.

"Lightning!" shouted Snow as he pointed at the arm.

Knowing what he meant, she unsheathed her gunblade, and ran for the arm. Jumping upwards, she swung an overhead and sliced the frozen arm from the monster's body.

She landed next to Snow, as he laughed in triumph. "Yeah! How'd you like that?"

The Monstropudding looked at the stub on its arm, but grinned as it grew longer. In moments, a new arm had replaced the old one.

"You just had to say something, didn't you?" chided Lightning.

However, the gelatinous beast quickly swung its arm at both of them. They were unable to dodge it, and both l'Cie were sent flying backwards.

Snow tried to get up, and looked at his partner. "Is there anything that can kill this guy?"

Lightning pushed her self up from the ground with her arms. "I don't know. It can regenerate, so we need to take it all out at the same ti-"

Suddenly, she felt herself being dragged along the ground. She looked over her shoulder, to see that the Monstropudding was trying to suck them in like a vacuum into its mouth. Snow was being dragged in as well, but he managed to grab a nearby rock for leverage. Despite that, he looked on in horror as Lightning was sucked into the air, and into its mouth.

"Oh no! LIGHTNIING!" he shouted.

Lightning struggled to push out of the thing's mouth, but the goo was pulling her in. she reached out to him, before the Monstropudding closed its mouth. When it reopened, she was gone.

"WHAT DID YOU DO TO HER!" demanded Snow. The monster only replied with deep laughter.

"Hang on, Sis. I'm gonna get you outta there!"

The Monstropudding then swung a downward hook at Snow, intending to crush him. Snow rolled to the side, but then grabbed onto the creature's hand. He held on tightly as it lifted its hand off of the ground. After swiping away all the slop from his person, Snow stood up to face it.

"The is the only time I'll say it! Let my Sis go, or else!" he threatened.

Roaring in response, the beast raised its right clenched fist, and brought it down upon him. Snow jumped away from it, thus avoiding the shock wave that came with it. Gaining momentum, he ran to the right arm, and jumped on it. He continued along its length, gaining speed as he did so. With a mighty leap, he flew to one of the right eyes of the monster.

"I saaaaid, LET HER GOOOO!" he cried, as he punched the eye with a Froststrike.

The eye was enveloped in ice, and exploded in goo, sending him flying backwards. He landed on the ground with his feet, though he winced as he did so. Snow examined the the Monstropudding, at it reeled left and right in pain. He looked at where he had attacked, and noticed that it had not recovered.

"The eyes can't heal themselves... So that's its weakness! But still, I need to end this before Light's done for!"

He flexed his left arm, as it shone with light. Snow opened his hand, as a Crystal Heart, the Shiva Eidolith, appeared.

"SHIVA!" he called, as he crushed the crystal in his hand. He stepped back, as a blue sphere of magic water, with ancient runes appeared. Inside, two female figures were curled together. They were adorned with portions of what seemed to be headdresses and other pieces of armor. The sphere of ice froze instantly, and the two beings flew out of it, and next to Snow. Styria and Nix were ready for battle.

"Let's show him how it's done!" he shouted.

He charged forward, as the Twin Eidolons hovered behind him. The Monstropudding noticed them, and spat globs at them. As they came closer, both twins stopped them with Blizzard spells. As the ice globs shattered around him, Snow jumped upwards to avoid the oncoming fist from the Monstropudding.

He fired blasts of Blizzara as he ran along the arm, before he jumped for the monsters face. However, his attempt failed when the beast backhanded him with its left hand. However, thanks to its gelatinous surface, Snow managed to hang onto it.

Using Froststrike, he froze the hand he was on, and jumped up as the other arm swung at him. The Monstropudding squealed in pain, as its left hand shattered. Snow was not able to grab onto anything as he fell, but his descent ceased when he felt a tug on his back. He looked up to see that Styria and Nix had both caught him. The Frost Eidolons lifted above the monster's face, before letting go of him, and following after him.

Both Shiva Sisters launched spells of Blizzaga at two of the Monstropudding's eyes, freezing them upon impact. They then spun forward, and dove after it with their feet extended. At the same time, Styria and Nix landed a strong strike on both of the beast's eyes, and they both shattered.

"My turn!" shouted Snow, as he fell after them. His l'Cie mark shone with a light blue glow, as he sent his fist down on the fourth eye of the Monstropudding. It instantly froze and shattered on impact.

He and the Twins landed back on the ground, as the gelatinous beast reeled in terrifying pain.

"One more ought to do it," Snow said to himself.

Suddenly, as the Monstropudding squealed, a small pink object flew out of its mouth. As Snow squinted his eyes, he gasped as he realized that it was Lightning's Odin Eidolith. It fell on the ground, shattering upon impact. As soon as it did, a torrent of pink energy appeared, as a summoning rune appeared on the ground. Then, the Thunder Eidolon, Odin, appeared.

Twirling its sword, it gripped the double edged sword, and threw it at the Monstropudding. It impaled itself on the beast's stomach, but was then pulled inside. The Monstropudding looked down on its stomach, wondering what had went in. It was then, that it began roaring again.

Snow looked on in amazement, until he realized what was happening. He looked at the creature's stomach, and saw that it was swirling inward. It looked as if something was rotating it. It was then, that Snow realized who was responsible.

"Light... She's helpin' out! Way to go!" he shouted. "Alright, we do this together!"

The Twins then grabbed each other's hand, and then connected their legs together. Twirling in mid-air, they both stopped, as they transformed into a motorcycle.

Snow ran up to them, and sat on the seat. "Let's ride!"

Revving the Shiva Bike up, it sped around the beast. Looking at it as he drove by, he noticed that there was a spot in the stomach where it was rotating. There, he saw Odin's swords appeared.

"Hang on, Sis! I'm coming!" he called.

Ridding on the hill overlooking the pond, Snow rode on top of it, gaining momentum for his bike. He then drove it off of the cliff, and flew towards the stomach. He reached out for the inside, and managed to grab onto an arm. When he flew past the stomach, he had successfully pulled out Lightning.

Snow landed on the ground next to Odin, as he dropped a slop-covered Lightning next to Odin. She coughed, as Snow knelt next to her.

"You alright, Sis?" he asked.

Taking in deep breaths, she finally glanced at him. "I'm not your sister."

Laughing out loud, he felt relieved to know that she was alright. A loud noise interrupted his relief.

Both l'Cie looked behind them, and saw that the Monstropudding was still alive. However, since Snow freed Lightning, the top half of its body fell on the ground. It was now crawling towards them, with a furious look in its eye.

"Hold that thought, Sis," blurted Snow. He got on his Shiva Bike, and revved it up. He then sped off towards the beast, despite the cries of his comrade.

Spotting a small rock that leaned forward, he drove to it. Using the Bike's magic to make an Ice Ramp, he used it to fly in the air. He soared over the beast, but landed on top of its eye.

"Cool 'em off!" he shouted, as he began to spin three-sixty degree turns on top of it. His exhausts spewed out ice magic, which froze the gelatin that made up the monster.

"HRRRRAAAAAGH!" he cried, as the giant beast froze with Shiva's Diamond Dust. When he stopped, the entire Monstropudding broke apart, and shattered on the ground as ice.

Landing on the ground, he drove to his partner, as he patted his bike in satisfaction. "Way to go, ladies!"

Odin bowed to Lightning, before disappearing in a pink light.

Snow stopped next to her. "How you holdin', Light?"

She stood up from her spot, covered in goo, as she reached for her canister, and poured it over her head. "I'm fine-"

Her face had an annoyed expression, when goo fell over her head. "I could use a shower..."

-Archylte Steppe-

Snow's Shiva Bike left dust behind him, as he drove across the landscape, with Lightning as his passenger.

"Well... I guess we didn't find much on Oerba after all," Snow said solemnly.

"Yeah. All we found was a huge glob of doom," added Lightning.

"Right." Snow was silent for a few seconds.

"Say Light... I remember you were about to tell me something, before that thing attacked. What was it?" he asked.

Lightning said nothing for a whole minute, but then spoke up again. "You know what? It's best that I tell you another time."

"I don't know Lightning. It sounded really important," said Snow.

"Trust me. I'll tell you later," she replied.

It was then that a bright light caught their attention. Both l'Cie looked up the sky.

"W- What the hell is that?" asked Snow.

"Lightning examined it closely. She noticed the direction it came from was the direction that Nero, and the two teens went.

"Damn it. What did you do now?" she hissed.

-Base Camp-

Snow and Lightning walked into the camp, and were welcomed with the sight of Sazh and Fang. Fang was cooking, while Sazh was sitting next to the fire.

Fang glanced at the duo, and snickered as she saw the soldier. "You like you got hammered by a bunch of crap."

"That wouldn't be far from the truth," remarked Lightning. "I'm going to the falls to wash this."

As Fang saw the soldier walk away, Sazh looked to Snow. "What happened?"

Snow shrugged. "Well, we found the monster, and it ate Light. I beat it, but she ended getting covered in its slop."

Fang let out a small laugh. "It's a shame. It looks like she won't be wanting any dinner tonight."

"Why's that?" asked Snow.

"'Cause we're having Flan," replied the Huntress casually.

Silence followed for a few minutes. Lightning had returned, ruffling her wet hair with a piece of cloth.

"So, any new developments?" she asked.

"Nope. We found a chocobo drinking hole, but nothin' on Oerba," answered Sazh. "And from the look of things, it looks like you guys didn't find much, either."

Sitting down next to the fire, Lightning sighed in irritation. "Damn."

Fang left her spot, and began passing out dinner. "Hey Light. You don't mind eating Flan tonight, do ya?"

She shrugged. "If anything, it'll metaphorically be revenge against all Flans." She took the plate, and began eating.

After a few minutes, the afro man spoke up. "So. Anyone willing to bet that the huge red light from earlier was Nero's doin'?"

"So, you guys saw that too, huh?" Snow realized. "Yeah, I was about to ask you guys about that."

"It doesn't matter," interjected Lightning. "Whatever happened, I'm sure he'll tell us about it when he gets back. If he gets back..."

"Tell you guys what?" asked a voice.

The entire group quickly looked at the entrance of the camp. Walking to the campfire, was Hope and Vanille, who were carrying an injured Nero.

"What the hell happened to you?" asked Snow, in a worried and surprised tone.

"Let's just say, I'm glad my life isn't part of a fighting game," he groaned.

The girl had laid him down near the sleeping cloth. "He fought against a monster."

"Really? Was that what you were doin', this whole time?" asked the Pulsian Huntress.

"More or less. Is that Flan? Gimme some. I want to show you guys how real Flan is supposed to behave," he said, while indicating them to give him a plate.

"Hold on. Did you guys find anything on Oerba?" asked Lightning.

"Sorry," answered Hope. "We found a chocobo patch, but nothing else. Nero found trouble."

"Crap," hissed Snow. "Well, I guess we're gonna have to look again tomorrow."

Vanille said nothing, but then looked at the group. "Hey. Why don't we try looking in the Mah'habara Subterra tomorrow? I mean, there's nothing left to look for in the Steppe. Maybe we should start lookin'-"

A loud snore interrupted her. Everyone looked at Nero, who had fallen asleep.

"Where here planning for tomorrow, and he falls asleep? Must've had one hell of a day," observed Sazh.

"You have no idea," replied Hope.

Ch. 28: Into the Hive

The l'Cie journey into the Mah'habara Subterra, as they continue to find Oerba. However, one by one, members of the group go mysteriously missing. Can Hope's quick thinking help the group stop the terror that threatens to consume them?

**AN: I apologize greatly for the time this took to upload. It seems that High Schools Seniors are really busy this time of year. Hopefully this update will make up for it. It's really hard to write a chapter that's not about Nero, and not part of the main story. But now, we're back on track. So hopefully, the next update will be sooner! Nero, Hope, and Vanille's tale takes place during the Tekken crossover, so stay tuned for that!**

**And don't forget... READ & REVIEW!**


	29. Into the Hive

**Capcom and Square-Enix own DMC and FFXIII respectively. AN: Ladies and gents, I've done it. I am finished with high school! I have gone to the graduation ceremony, and am ready for summer. My goal? Finish Devil Fantasy XIII! If not, then get done with most of it. For those who don't know, I updated my Asura's Wrath story... Even though that was a few months ago. So if you have the chance, check it out. **

**The new cover that's up belongs to Link-the-lightbringer! NOT Beyond my mask. He did the last one! This guy, however, can really find good anime pictures, and make them covers! Look up Devil Fantasy XIII on Google Images, and you'll find the cover and his deviantart page. **

**Props to anyone that finds the random references in this chapter. Now, without further delay...**

Archylte Steppe- Into the Hive

-Archylte Steppe-

As the seven l'Cie entered the massive field, Nero let out a loud yawn.

"Maaaaaaaaan, did that nap hit the spot!" he chirped.

"Nap?" blurted Sazh. "You mean sleeping for the whole night is a nap in your world?"

The demon hunter shrugged. "Nah. But I seriously needed one."

Snow glanced at Nero over his shoulder. "Say, Nero. You never did tell us what messed you up so bad."

He only waved him off. "Trust me. It's better if I tell you when we stop for the day. So, where's this Subterra?"

Fang groaned in response. "That's the problem. It's the same thing with Oerba. We know about it, but don't know where it is."

As the group walked further in, something caught their attention. "Huh? Guys, look!" Vanille announced.

A few feet ahead of them, stood a golden chocobo. On its right wing was a fresh bite mark.

Nero's eyes narrowed, as he studied the creature. He then sighed in recognition. "Oh. It's you."

Lightning gave him a curious look. "You know it?"

"Yeah," he answered. "I saved this guy yesterday, when I was fetchin' the grub."

Fang arched an eyebrow. "Saved it?"

"Yeah. Those stupid white freaks that chased me to camp were bothering it."

"Awww! How nice!" Vanille squealed.

Nero shrugged. "It's no big deal. Though, I'm a bit confused as to why it's here."

The Pulsian girl walked up to it. When it did not attack her, she raised her hand over its head, and pet it. The chocobo squawked happily.

"This guy isn't so bad! I think it's grateful that you saved its life," she suggested.

Snow and Hope walked up to the chocobo, where the boy petted its wing.

The chocobo nudged its head towards Hope. "Hehe. Hey, cut it out!"

The chocobo chick fluttered to the bigger chocobo, and chirped happily. Sazh chuckled heartily. "Well, the little chick's taken a liking to the big guy."

"GUYS!" blurted Nero. The group quickly noticed his irritated expression. "It's just a chocobo I saved! You guys are acting like he's the next big thing!"

He then received a large glob of snot to the face. Wiping his face, he sent an annoyed glare at the chocobo, which squawked at him as if it were laughing.

Fang gave a short laugh. "Looks like someone's jealous."

"Pfft," scoffed the Grandson of Sparda. "Jealous? Of THAT?" he blurted as he gestured of the chocobo.

Gasping in shock, Vanille rubbed the chocobo's neck. "Nero! How could you say that? This guy has feelings, you know!"

Every glanced at the bird, and it looked at them with teary eyes.

"Oh brother," he muttered.

"I don't know, Nero. Don't you think you're acting a bit ridiculous?" inquired Hope.

Nero glared at the boy, as if he had committed a serious crime. "Are you kidding me? Is it wrong to want to get a move on? Maybe you guys forgot, but we're on a tight schedule! One which has no way of us knowing when it'll end!"

Hearing his words, the entire group quickly fell into silence.

"Look," he continued. "I'm sure that if we had more time, we can spend the whole day with the little guy. But we don't. With our brands as they are, we can't afford to waste precious time."

Nero glanced at Lightning. "Even you have to agree with that."

The pink-haired soldier held his gaze for a moment, before sighing. "He has a point, you guys. We need to get a move on."

"THANK YOU!" he shouted.

Snot then hit his face again. Wiping it off with an annoyed expression, the devil hunter's eyes narrowed at the chocobo.

"What the HELL?" he roared.

Vanille crossed her arms. "Serves you right."

Whipping his hand in the air to flick off the mucus, Nero responded. "Geez... I don't see what's wrong. I mean, it's not like the guy knows where Oerba is."

Hearing this, the chocobo squawked a the l'Cie. Turning to face the bird, they watched as it sat on the ground, while turning its head to the girl.

Vanille stared at the bird, and gasped when she realized its intention. "You want me... To get on you?"

"WHAT?" shouted Nero.

Fang, rubbing her ear, answered him. "Don't get the wrong idea, mate. It wants her to ride it. Still, it is kinda weird. Usually, you need to feed them Gysahl Greens to get 'em to take you somewhere."

The Pulsian girl sat on the avian, and shrugged. "Who knows? Maybe it just wants to prove Nero wrong."

"Wrong? About what?" he asked with an annoyed tone.

"About Oerba," she replied. "Maybe it does know the way!"

He rolled his eyes. "Doubt it."

Vanille then looked at the boy, who watched the scene in awe. "Say, Hope. Want get on the chocobo? It's better than walking!"

Hope, looking a bit flustered, watched the chocobo in nervousness. "I don't know... I've never ridden a chocobo before."

"It'll be fine!" she assured. "This one seems to be gentle, so it won't bite."

He stood there pondering the girl's claim, before he made his decision. Hope walked to the chocobo, uncertainty forming in his face. The boy stepped over the bird's back, and slowly sat down. He gasped in surprise, when it stood. Hope gripped its feathers tightly, as to not fall off.

The girl looked over her shoulder to address him. "You okay?"

Breathing deeply, to ease his nervousness, he nodded slowly. "Yeah... For now, I guess."

Smiling, she gently rubbed the chocobo's neck. "This is my friend's first time riding one of you. So please don't go too fast, okay?"

The avian squawked happily in response.

Vanille then looked at the others. "Well c'mon! Let's go!"

The chocobo took off, while Hope held on for dear life. The group watched as they took off.

"Whelp, no use standing here!" Snow said, as he ran after them.

Fang looked over her shoulder. "What are you guys waiting for?" She then ran towards the others.

Nero, who watched the scene unfold with an open jaw, stuttered to speak. "W-W-WHAT? Are you guys serious?"

Sazh watched the chocobo chick, as it fluttered around his head. "Sorry, son. Chocobos are always right. Just ask this little guy. HEY, WAIT UP!" The afro man followed them.

Nero threw his arms in the air, but then gasped when he saw Lightning walking in their direction. "YOU TOO? Didn't you just agree with me?"

Stopping, she turned to face him, and shrugged. "Yeah. But now we're finding Oerba again."

"You actually believe that bird knows where Oerba is?" he nearly shouted.

Ignoring his question, she began to walk away. "Quit whining like a baby."

His jaw dropped to the floor, Nero shook his head as he followed her. "You've gotta be shittin' me."

The two l'Cie caught up to the group, and followed the chocobo. Their trek caused them to cross the Steppe for more than an hour. They began to reach the edge of the plains.

"Well? Where's Oerba?" asked Nero, in an irritated tone.

"We're not there yet, obviously!" snapped Fang.

"C'mon, Nero," called Vanille. "You need to have a little faith!"

"There are a lot of things in life I have no faith in," he hissed. "Taking directions from a big chicken is one of them!"

Snow just patted his shoulder. "Compared to looking blindly for another day, I'd rather take my chances with the chicken."

The group walked down an incline. The chocobo was slowing down now.

"It looks like we're almost to the destination," Hope observed.

It was then, that something stopped the group. Before them, a giant, black-skinned beast, with furry fines over its back, red claws, red eyes and sharp teeth, was fighting a large, muscular beast on its fours, with a flailing straps, purple skin, and a buzz-saw sword, were fighting each other. The Megistotherian and the Behemoth King had every intention of ripping the other apart.

"Well," muttered Lightning. "There's something you don't see every day."

"Is this it? We came all this way, to watch two freaky monsters maul each other?" Nero asked annoyingly.

"Oh no! Are we going to have to fight them?" inquired the Pulsian girl.

The l'Cie fell silent, as the two beasts fought each other. Despite the look of the situation, Fang only grinned mischievously.

"Vanille, have you forgotten about our little trick?" she asked.

Everyone faced her. "What trick?" asked Snow.

Fang reached into her pouch, and pulled out a round bottle, which looked like a spray.

"Ladies and gents, let me introduce you to some Gran Pulsian goodies that I've kept this whole time. This thing here's called a Shroud," she explained. "Now, there are four types of shrouds. This one's called Deceptisol."

The group watched her demonstration. "Yeah, so?" asked the afro man.

Still grinning, she sprayed the contents over her, which also spread throughout the entire group. She tossed it to Lightning, and walked towards the beasts.

Eyes wide, Hope called for her. "Fang, are you insane?"

Vanille only giggled. "Nope. She knows what she's doing."

Fang walked casually towards the fight, but stopped when she was three feet away. The group had expected the monsters to turn their attention to the Pulsian huntress. However, for a strange reason, they ignored her.

"What the..." muttered Nero.

"That's Deceptisol, for ya!" chirped Vanille. "It's used by Pulsian hunters to sneak up on their prey, and bring home food."

Hearing this, Nero narrowed his eyes at the Huntress. "And why didn't you give me some when I went to go get food the other day?"

"Why? You handled yourself just fine. Or does the big, stwong, devil hunter need me to hold his wittle hand?" cooed Fang.

Nero snarled in reply. "And here I thought, after waking up in the morning, that it was going to be a good day!"

"You sprayed that stuff all over us. Does that mean they can't detect us?" asked Light.

"That's the idea, Light," answered Fang.

The other l'Cie, although warily, walked past the two beasts, but regained their pace when they were out of sight. They were between two large cliffs, and rocks.

They all stopped when the chocobo sat down. Both teens got off of the avian, as it pointed forward with its head.

"Are we here?" asked Hope.

"Looks like it, son," said Sazh, as the chocobo fluttered around in curiosity.

"Y'know, this place looks a bit... Familiar," observed Fang.

"Yeah," added Vanille. "Then that means... The chocobo did know the way! Hehe!"

Snow walked forward, and examined the opening. "Yeah. There's a way over here!"

"Yeah, yeah, whatever," Nero blurted. "C'mon. We've got a path, so let's take it."

"Alright!" cheered Vanille. She then rubbed the chocobo's neck. "C'mon. Let's get goi-"

"WAIT... Up just a second, there," interrupted Nero. "We... Well most of us, agreed to follow the chocobo. We never said anything about it coming with us!"

"Bu- But why not?" Vanille protested. "It helped us! The least we could do is take it with us!"

Growling, Nero looked to the Pulsian Huntress. "Fang, can't you help me out here?"

Sighing, she walked up to Vanille, and put her hands on her shoulders. "Listen, Van. We can't take it away from its habitat. Remember, the elders had this forbidden for a reason. It wouldn't survive. We'd only be doing it more harm."

"B- But Fang..."

"Vanille... You know I'm right."

The girl eyes fell to the ground. They were full of sadness, yet she knew that her friend was right.

"Alright..."

"FINALLY!" shouted Nero. He then turned to the chocobo. "Thank you very much, big guy, but we won't be needin' ya. So... Shoo."

Nero waved him off with his Bringer. It didn't move, so he waved at it again.

"Shoo."

Vanille, for the first time, shot a glare at Nero. "Nero... You... UGH!"

She stormed towards him, and slammed her foot on top of Nero's. Surprisingly, Nero yelped in pain.

"SHAAAAAOOOWWW!"

"Hmph. Serves you right."

Rubbing his foot, Nero glanced at the chocobo, still rooted to where it stood.

"Tch. Forget it. Let's just go. It ain't moving at all."

Nero stood up from his spot, and slightly limped away from the group. The rest followed suit, but Vanille took a moment to look back, and waved at the chocobo.

The chocobo remained there for a few moments. It then turned its head toward the cliff.

If memory served right, that cliff was the shortcut it used to cross the Subterra.

-Mah'habara Subterra-

"Hell hath no fury, like a woman scorned, eh Nero," chuckled Hope.

Nero then smacked Hope in the back of the head. "OW-"

"Shut up."

The l'Cie walked through a dark corridor. Trash and broken machinery littered the walls. Some of the machines were still working, and provided light for the group.

"A little too dark for my tastes," commented Snow. "I don't like this one bit."

The group walked under a piece of machinery that acted as a walkway. "This place is too tight; small," observed Lightning. "It's the perfect place for an ambush."

They made it to an open area of the cave. It was made of platforms, that were comprised of broken machinery. Several Cryohedrons flew about, while Hoplites scurried about.

Nero took swig of his water jug, and noticed the huge tunnel that made up most of the cave. It was then, that he discovered that the entire area was inside the tunnel.

"This place is so huge, it seems unnatural," he observed.

"You're right about one thing. This place is unnatural," Fang agreed. "All of these tunnels were made by a Gran Pulse fal'Cie."

"Yep," added Vanille. "I bet it's diggin' more tunnels as we speak."

Hope walked toward the railing, and looked at the opening in the tunnel. "The fal'Cie here seem different from the ones we have on Cocoon, huh? Instead of maintaining humans, they just plow through the planet, not even caring about what's going on around them."

"Yeah, you're right. But us Oerbans lived on land that was cleared by the fal'Cie," Fang told. "We lived alongside them. Like you guys do on Cocoon."

Sazh scoffed, as he went to her. "Yeah. 'Cause this place is _just_ like Cocoon," he returned sarcastically.

Lightning crossed her arms, as she glanced at the cave's ceiling. "In a world as big as this one, we're just bound to find anything."

Nero leaned on the railing, and looked up at the hole. He arched an eyebrow, when he spotted ruins at the top. "Look. Another city in ruins."

Fang looked up at the ruins. "Yep. It was probably destroyed during the War."

Everyone else walked up to the railing to see the ruins. Large buildings leaned on other ruins, and several broken fans around the area where still working.

"Y'know, it's funny."

Everyone else turned to Fang. "When we were little, we were always told that the demons of Cocoon would attack us one day. And now, here we are. Waltzing into Oerba, with Cocoonians in tow. The very people we took arms against!"

Vanille giggled. "Yep. Back then, there was no way we would've helped you!"

"Heh. That's a reassuring thought," expressed Nero with a smirk. The grin quickly fell, when he noticed the Pulsian girl had her back to him, arms crossed, and heavy frown. "Vanille, what's wrong?"

"Hmph!" was her response.

"What the- Oh! Don't tell me this about that chocobo?"

She did not answer him.

"Hehe. Looks like someone made her angry," Snow chuckled.

Nero only scoffed. "Fine. Two can play at this game."

Sazh shook his head. "Well anyway, I can understand why you wouldn't help us. I mean, wasn't that back when you got your first Focus?"

Vanille nodded at him, although she did it warily. "Right... We already talked about _that_, huh?"

Nero sensed uneasiness in her voice.

"I wonder how long it's been since we joined the battle against Cocoon? It's probably been centuries," she guessed.

"I turned into Ragnarok... And cracked Cocoon's shell... I fought against Sparda...

Snow rubbed his head in pity. "Yeah... It must have been hard for you. You shouldn't have had to go through that."

Vanille shrugged. "Well, the memories are sort of fuzzy... I can't remember them at all." Fang had a pensive look on her face.

"Cocoon's version of the War of Transgression must be based on what you two did," concluded Hope.

"Pfft, I didn't do a damn thing!" blurted Fang in an annoyed tone. "I only became a crystal, and I don't even know why that happened! And what's worse, there're no memories to show for it!"

The Pulsian girl had a guilty look in her eyes. She quickly faced Fang. "It's all my fault! People died because of me!"

Lightning placed a hand on the girl's shoulder, giving her a reassuring nod. "But it's over now. Their souls can finally rest."

The seven l'Cie examined the ruins further, before continuing their journey.

Groups of Cryohedrons attacked them, but they were eliminated without prejudice.

"Killin' these guys are harder, with low visibility," muttered Sazh, as he indicated the lighting.

"Hey, it might be a little hard to see where we're going, but we'll get there," assured Snow.

"I guess," agreed the afro man.

As the rest of the group was ahead, Sazh walked near the back. It was then, that the chocobo chick flew out of Sazh's afro. The man had a startled look on his face, as it fluttered around his face.

"Whoa there, little guy! What's wrong?" he asked, startled by its frantic attitude.

The baby chocobo fluttered up and down in front of him. It then flew away, and returned to the path they came from.

"Hey! Wait up!" He looked behind him, but saw that the others had already gone ahead. Sighing in frustration, he ran after the chocobo.

"I swear, that bird's gonna be the death of me," he mumbled.

Sazh made it back to where the chocobo hovered over one of two doors that were on the wall. Strangely, they were both open. However, what astounded him was that there was a bright light coming from the door the chocobo was in front of. It had not been there when they first walked past it. He walked up to it, with a curious look on his face.

Shielding his eyes with his hand, Sazh saw that there was something inside the light. He squinted his eyes to get a better look. He only made out the dusty pink dungarees, and the small afro, before realizing who it was.

"D-Dajh?" he asked in rising disbelief.

As soon as he had said that, the light had subsided. "Dajh" had taken on a new form. Gasping in shock, Sazh took a step backwards, but then felt something tackle him from the back.

A scream echoed across the tunnels.

* * *

><p>-One minute earlier-<p>

As Snow walked across the bridge, he heard something down the large tunnel. "Hey. You guys hear something?"

They all stopped when he spoke. Silence was ruined, when a distant rumbling was heard. The l'Cie turned to their right side, to see something coming from the tunnel. It had a spherical shape, with red spines jutting out in the middle. It was loud, as it passed by them.

The sound from the rolling sphere drowned out the sound of a terror-filled scream.

"That thing's huge!" exclaimed Nero.

"Let me guess. That was a fal'Cie?" Snow guessed.

"Yep," Vanille chirped. "It's always off digging more and more tunnels!"

"Oh I see! Makin' roads, where roads ain't meant to go! Hehe, kinda sound's like us," he joked. He then pounded his fists together. "Alright, Roly-poly! Let's hitch a ride on that thing!"

"Hehe, now you're thinkin' Gran Pulse style!" she cheered.

The half-demon only shook his head. "Man. This place is getting to us, eh Sazhy?" His eyebrow arched when he was met with no response. "Hey, Sazh, did you even hear me-"

He turned around to address Sazh, but found no one. He looked around the group, but found no one.

Nero's face became pale. "Guys... Where's Sazh?"

Hearing this, every looked around them, before coming to the same conclusion.

"Holy crap, where'd he go?" Snow asked loudly.

"Did he stop for anything back there?" Lightning inquired.

"Beats me," answered Fang. "But if we want him with us, we need to go back and get 'im."

Everyone became quiet again, as a small sound reached their ears. The six l'Cie looked to the way the came from, and heard the volume of a chirping sound increase. Then, the chocobo chick flew out of the darkness and flew straight for Vanille. It flew around her head, and fluttered up and down in front of her face, before landing on her hands.

"What's wrong? Where's Sazh?" she asked worriedly.

It was then, that a snarl came from the darkness. Everyone's eyes shot to the darkness, and saw an approaching light. The group readied themselves as it approached. When it left the shadows, the light dimmed from the being. From the light, emerged a small golden, four-legged insectoid. It had green eyes, two sharp antennae, and a line in the bottom of its face. On its arms, were two fore-limbs, with blades, and an abdomen.

It was reminiscent of a praying mantis, but it looked as if it were an infant.

"AWWWW!" cooed Vanille. "Why, you're the cutest little bug I've-"

As she walked forward, Nero's Bringer shot up to stop her. "Oh. So now you don't like little bugs, is that it?"

Nero's gaze never left the insect. "Not if they're demons."

Eyes widening slowly, she turned to face the insect. "What do you-"

Suddenly, the insect's eyes changed to a red hue, with a black slit in the middle. Its arms unfolded, and its face opened up to reveal a terrifying smaller face, with red eyes, and sharp teeth. The abdomen opened, and unveiled four insects wings. It fluttered off of the ground, and flew straight at the group.

Vanille cried out in fear, but Nero whipped Blue Rose up, and fired at the insect. Two bullet jerked it back into the ground, dead.

After a few seconds of silence, more snarling sounds were heard. The l'Cie looked forward, and similar demon insects approached from the darkness. Some of them were drooling, while others just had murderous glints in their eyes.

Snow slowly stepped back. "I'm guessing that now's the time to run?" he asked, while glancing at Lightning.

She nodded slowly, so that everyone could see her response. A few seconds later, the six l'Cie ran off. Seeing their actions, the hordes of demons, Luminites, pursued their prey.

The group ran along the ramp, and made it to the top of the platform. Snow quickly glanced over his shoulder, to find, to his shock, a Luminite lunging at him. He quickly turned around, and kicked the insect with a hard kick. He dashed back to the group, but noticed that they had slowed to a stop. Snow then figured out why. More demons began to appear, blocking their path.

Fang held her Bladed Lance, and twirled it. "Looks like we're gonna have to squash a few bugs."

"Just our luck," Lightning hissed.

A Luminite jumped at her, intending to chew on her flesh. The soldier fired at the demon as fast as her namesake, and quickly used her blade to swipe at another one behind her.

Hope and Vanille stood back to back, as Luminites surrounded the teens. The boy then produced an Aeroga, and pushed it to the ground beneath him. This caused a gust of wind to surround them, and push the demons back. The girl summoned Fira spell, and fired at the torrent. This caused for the spell to be fired at a group of Luminites. She fired more Firas at the Luminites. Each of the demonic insects squealed in pain as the flames singed them to death.

When they were gone, Hope raised his hands to stop the spell. Glancing at the girl, who glanced back, the teens nodded at each other, and ran up the platform.

Nero and Fang had their backs to the other as they ascended the ramp. Their eyes never left the numbers of demons surrounding them.

"You ever fought this many demons at the same time?" asked Fang.

"Once. But that time, I had a huge spinning top to help me cut them down to size," he revealed.

An insect lunged at him, and he sliced it down the middle. Two more flew at Fang, but she separated her Lance in two, and impaled them both into the demons' skulls. Nero swung Red Queen horizontally, and sliced three Luminites, as Fang twirled her Bladed Lance to sway away two demons. Swiping his sword upwards, Nero sent the three Luminites into the air.

"FANG!" he called.

The Huntress turned to him, and saw that he was pointing at the airborne demons. Knowing what he wanted, she lowered the tip of her Lance to the ground. The half-demon then sprinted towards her, and jumped up. Fang then pulled her lance upwards, and pushed Nero high into the air. He raised his sword as he soared above the demons, and cut them all in half.

Snow fought off some Luminites, as Nero landed nearby. He kicked one to the side, and blasted another with Blizzara. He then landed a straight punch that went through the bug's head. As soon as he retracted his arm, he cringed as his hand was covered in slime.

"Yuck," he cringed.

Suddenly, more goo covered his whole arm. Snow looked to the side, and saw that a demon had spat on his arm. However, it still chewed on the slime, making it a sort of makeshift rope. The Hero tried pulling his arm away, but the attempt was met with resistance. Then, another bug shot goo at his left arm. Snow tried to pull his arms towards his chest, but the demons jerked their heads in response. This managed to force Snow onto his knees.

Nero, who holstered his Blue Rose after firing at two demons, gasped as he saw his comrade on the ground.

"SNOW!" he called, as he ran to him.

However, his stride faltered when something struck his Devil Bringer. He glanced to the side to see that a Luminite had trapped his demonic arm just like they had done to Snow. Snarling in annoyance, he reached for his Blue Rose, but another demon sent goo to his left arm.

Nero pulled on the goo, as the two demons tried to pull his arms away. With a strong grunt, he used his arms to roll some the goo around his forearms. With a final pull, he managed to send the Luminites flying into each other. And more importantly, in front of him.

Stretching his arms wide, his sent a flurriy of fists to both demons' heads, and finished it with a strong uppercut. This caused both of heads to be sent flying.

At first, Nero smirked victoriously, but he then realized there was goo on his arms. Making a face of disgust, he flicked the goo off of his hands. He did it once more and left, even though there was still slime on his hands.

Snow continued to struggle against the two demons, when more slime was shot at his feet. He tried to grab anything that could help him resist their tugging, but found nothing.

Lightning, who had decapitated a Luminite at the moment, looked at the lower platform, and saw what was occurring with Snow. Eyes filled with determination, she ran to a nearby demon, and jumped off of its head. She soared over to the other platform, and landed gracefully.

However, as soon as she made it onto the platform, a Luminite pounced on her, intending to consume her. The soldier held the insect's head, as it snapped at her ferociously. She threw the body to the side, which collided with Nero. When he turned around, he gave a swift kick to the demon's body to send it flying.

"What was that for-"

"We need to save Snow, NOW!" she interjected.

Instantly getting the message, he ran up to her, and helped her up. Both then ran for Snow, who was still being dragged to the floor.

Nero and Lightning both dove forward to grab the man's arms, but found that the Luminites were still pulling Snow easily. It was then that they realized that the three Luminites crawled into a hole. The hole was large enough to pull Snow in.

Snow looked over his shoulder, and saw what the demons were doing. He then looked at his two friends, who were were trying to save him, but were only being taken with him.

After thinking to himself, Snow made his decision. "Guys, let go of me. Get outta here."

"Out... Of the question!" rejected Lightning, as she continued to pull on his arm.

"Just hold on! We'll... Get you outta here," assured Nero.

"THERE'S NO TIME!" he yelled. "Look, get the others out of here! I'll go find Sazh! Trust me!"

"We are NOT leaving you here!" stressed the soldier.

Giving out a sigh, Snow's head lowered. "Sorry, Sis."

He quickly retracted his left arm back, and charged his l'Cie mark with magic. He then slammed his fist on the ground, sending a strong shock wave that pushed both l'Cie on the ground.

Snow gave them a thumbs up as he was dragged into the hole. "Don't worry! I'll get Sazh! I promise!"

And with that, he was dragged into the darkness.

Lightning, whose eyes had widened with fear, quickly tried to run after him. Nero saw this, and just as quickly pulled her away.

She struggled against his grip. "L- let me go! We have to help him! We-"

Nero turned her around, and gripped her shoulders. "Light- LIGHTNING, LISTEN TO ME!" Noticing that her eyes had a startled expression to them, he continued. "We'll come back for him... But we need to get everyone out of here, first. Okay?"

She stared at him for a moment, before finally coming to her senses. "Right... Of course."

Noticing her pained expression, Nero glanced back at the hole. "Don't make me a liar, Snow."

Fang batted demons left and right, as Hope tossed his Airwing boomerang at some others, while Vanille fired spells. Just as they made it off of the ramp, the girl was met with the sight of six more demons.

Nero and Lightning made it to the top platform, where they saw this happening. Thinking quickly, Nero summoned a Spectral Bringer, and grabbed Lightning's waist.

Noticing her surprised look, Nero responded, "I'm gonna throw you up to them. Ready?"

Catching on, she nodded, and Nero threw her into the air. The soldier flew over the Luminites, and fired at three of the demons approaching their friends. She landed on her feet, and used her Saber to swipe at the remaining three.

Nero revved up his Red Queen, and dashed through the demons with a Streak, therefore slicing many in half. He jumped to the stairs, and slashed at the Luminite in front of Fang.

She smirked. "What is it with you Spardas, and big entrances?"

Nero ignored the remark. "We need to get outta here."

Fang looked at the group, and noticed one of them was missing. "Where's Snow?"

Nero merely looked away. Both teens looked at Light, as she looked to the ground.

"They... They got him," she admitted.

Gasping, Vanille asked, "You mean... Snow's-"

"Alive," Nero interjected. "But we're going to save him."

The chocobo chick squawked confusedly, as Hope gave a nervous expression. "But... How?"

"By getting away from these bugs alive," answered Lightning.

"C'mon," urged Nero. "We can still make it if we-"

"LOOK OUT!"

Nero was startled, as Fang pushed him to the ground. He quickly glanced up at her, only to see her be tackled down the stairs, as she struggled with a Luminite. He realized that it had intended to jump at him, but Fang had saved him.

She quickly pushed it away, but was then rushed by more demons.

Grabbing her Bladed Lance, she addressed her friends. "GO! I'll hold 'em off!"

Vanille, horrified by the idea, tried to run after her, but was held back by Hope and Lightning. "NO! We can't leave you!"

Completely ignoring her, Fang glanced at the half demon. "You get her outta here alive! OR ELSE!"

"We're not gonna leave you here!" he stressed.

Grinning, Fang swatted another Luminite. "Then you'll just have to save me with Snow and Sazh. NOW GO!"

The Huntress ran to the lower platform, as Vanille cried out for her.

Growling to himself, Nero slammed his Bringer onto the railing, while yelling out "FUCK!" He then ordered the survivors to keep moving down the tunnel.

The l'Cie kept running down the tunnel. Hope looked over his back, and saw more Luminites following them.

"Guys, they're following us!"

"Then run faster, kid!" shouted Nero.

Lightning jumped over a pile of machinery, and waited for both teens to follow. After they did, Nero jumped over, as he fired with his Blue Rose. Hope then noticed sunlight ahead.

"There! The exit!" he announced.

With a final sprint, the four l'Cie headed for the exit. In a few seconds, Lightning, Hope and Vanille made it out of the tunnel. However, as Nero made it out, a Luminite tackled him to the ground.

It snapped at him ferociously. Nero managed to roll on his back, and kicked it away with both feet. Rolling onto his feet, he unsheathed the Red Queen, ready to slaughter the insects. However, he was surprised when he realized that they were still in the tunnel, snarling at him hungrily.

"Nero!" called the young Palumpolum native. Nero looked over his shoulder, then back to the demons. With a scowl, he walked away from them.

Nero unsheathed the Red Queen, and walked over to his friends. His eyes then went to the spectacle before them. The Luminite he had kicked before began to jerk left and right, almost convulsing. It then began to glow brighter and brighter, before finally bursting into pieces. The group covered their faces with their arms to avoid getting any of its limbs on them.

When they looked again, pieces of the demon were scattered along the wall.

"It... Exploded..." observed Hope.

Nero, Lightning, and Hope walked to the wall, and examined the demon's remains.

"I don't get it. Why would it explode out of nowhere?" asked the soldier.

"Who knows?" said Nero. "But whatever it is, it might have something to do with the rest of them not following us."

Both l'Cie looked at the tunnel, and noticed the observation.

"Yeah. It's as if they're scared of the sun," commented Hope.

Lightning gave a dry chuckle. "How's that for a contradiction? Light demons that are afraid of sunlight."

Nero resisted the urge to chuckle, when he noticed something about the wings of the creature. He picked it off of the wall, and examined it further.

"Hold up... I've seen this material before!" he realized.

"Really? How?" asked the boy.

"The wings... This is the same material that's made to use solar panels," he explained.

"Solar panels?" inquired Lightning.

"Oh, right," he sighed. "You guys don't have those in Cocoon. Well, solar panels are these machines that can absorb sunlight during the day. They can then convert the sunlight into energy, and can distribute it to hundreds of people."

Hearing this, Hope quickly became astonished. "Wow! That sounds like an excellent way of getting energy!"

Nero only scoffed. "Yeah. Tell that to the rest of the world."

Lightning continued to look at the wing. "So, according to what you said, these wings absorbed the sunlight."

"And maybe, it was too much for this thing to handle, and it ended up blowing itself to bits," Nero theorized.

Hope put his hand to his chin. "Huh. That could be very useful when we go save the others."

Vanille finally spoke up. "We are going to save them, right?"

Sighing, Nero stood up. "Alright, let's get one thing straight. We are NOT going to leave them behind! But we need to get a hold of ourselves, first."

"We're going to rest for a few minutes. NO MORE than a FEW minutes. And once we're set, we'll go after them," assured Lightning.

* * *

><p>-Flower-filled Fissure-<p>

Nero washed his face at a nearby stream. Hope was nearby, examining the remains of the Luminite. Lightning sat on a rock, checking her Blazefire Saber for any imperfections. Vanille crouched near a patch of flowers.

Shaking his head to remove the water on his face, Nero leaned on a wall next to Hope. He looked over to the Pulsian girl, and noticed that she had been very quiet since they escaped.

"Hey, Hope," he spoke. "Why don't you go to talk to Vanille? I think she's still troubled by what happened to the others."

Hope had not bothered to look away from the demon's remains. "Why me?"

Nero smirked. "Well, if you ever want a chance to be with her, I suggest-"

"That's not what I'm talking about!" he snapped.

The half-devil was startled by the boy's response. "Whoa. What's up with you, kid?"

"Well, you're the one who got her mad, earlier! Maybe it's best for you to go apologize. It might even make her feel better," he explained.

At that moment, Nero mentally punched himself in the face. Due to their recent encounter, he had forgotten about his earlier argument.

Sighing, he knew what had to do. "I hate it when you're right, kid."

Walking away from Hope, he made his way to the Pulsian girl. The baby chocobo sat on her left shoulder, chirping sadly. He crouched next to her, and placed his left hand on her shoulder.

"How're you holdin' up?" he asked.

Vanille didn't respond at first. She kept her gaze on the flowers.

But after a moment, she finally spoke. "These flowers... These flowers grow everywhere in Oerba..."

"Really? Well, then that means we're on the right track," Nero said, trying to cheer the girl up.

"Yeah... But going home wouldn't be the same without everybody..."

Vanille felt Nero's hand tighten around her shoulder. "Listen to me, Vanille. I said we weren't going to abandon our friends, and I meant every word. We will come up with a way to free them from those demons."

"But... But what if we can't?" she cried.

"Saying "what if" is only going to make it that much harder for us. If we're gonna do this, we need everybody on board. That means you too."

Sighing, she looked back at the flowers. "I suppose..."

Noticing her morose expression, he decided that now was the time to apologize. "Look, Vanille... About the chocobo, earlier... I'm sorry."

With a confused expression, she faced Nero, as he continued his apology.

"I don't know. I guess I kinda wanted you guys to give me a pat on the back for saving it. But then you guys were all over it... I dunno. I guess I _did_ get a little jealous."

"You mean you were acting like a little boy?" she scolded.

He chuckled. "Yeah. Anyway, I'm sorry for snapping at you like I did... Can you forgive me?"

The girl stood up, with her hands on her hips. She looked away, with a pout. "I don't know..."

The moment Nero stood to his full height, Vanille gave him a tight hug. "I forgive you."

Nero only grinned response. "Thanks." He then gasped. "You- You can let go now..."

"Oops!" She then let go of him.

Nero was still surprised how a small girl could take the air out of his lungs. Perhaps it was her being a l'Cie?

Unbeknownst to him, something had just jumped off of a rock, and walked towards him.

Smiling, he looked back at the girl. "Tell ya what. If we ever run into that chocobo again, I promise I'll let you play with it."

Vanille beamed after hearing this. But then, she looked behind the demon hunter.

"I don't think I'll have to wait long for that one."

Confused by the statement, his eyes narrowed. "What're you-"

A loud "KWEH!" interrupted him, and startled him, thus sending Nero to the floor.

When he rolled onto his back, his eyes went wide. "YOU'VE GOTTA BE SHITTING ME!"

Both Hope and Lightning heard his cry, and both went to see what had occurred. To their surprise, they saw a large chocobo standing over Nero, whom had a face of disbelief.

"Did we miss something?" Lightning inquired.

Nero was at a loss for words. "B-B-Bu... How? HOW? There's no way you could've followed us!"

Hope looked over at the rock wall, and noticed several feathers on them. "I guess it climbed over the rocks."

Vanille giggled. "Well, Nero. Looks like your eating your words now."

"I thought you forgave me?" he shouted.

"Yeah. But you never said anything about me rubbing the fact that you were wrong in your face," she countered.

Groaning, Nero stood up. But as soon as he did, the chocobo sneezed on him. Not even bothering to get angry, he wiped his face with his Bringer.

"Should've seen that coming."

"Alright. We're well rested. It's time to go save our friends," announced Lightning.

* * *

><p>-Dusktide Grotto-<p>

Hope slowly looked over the rock he was hiding in, followed by Vanille, Lightning, Nero, and the chocobo.

"Tell me again, why did we bring the chicken along?" asked Nero in a whisper.

"Well, we weren't going to leave him there! Who knows what would've happened to him!" reasoned Vanille.

"Vanille. We took it out of the frying pan, and into the fire!" he countered.

"QUIET! Both of you!" hissed Lightning. "Hope, do you see anything?"

The boy took out his small telescope. "Hold on..." He looked into it, and zoomed in on the platform. What he saw startled him.

"Light? You better take a look at this..." He held out the telescope for her, and she took it.

When she looked at the platform, she saw multiple yellow eggs covering the platform, as many Luminites skittered about.

"Goodness... It's a hive," reported the soldier.

"A hive? Let me see that," Nero demanded. He looked at the platform, and noticed its condition. "Don't hives have queens, or somethin'?"

Just then, a loud roar echoed throughout the cavern, causing all four l'Cie to freeze.

"I just had to say something," he muttered darkly. The chocobo chick shivered in fear on his shoulder.

"Can I see that?" Vanille asked. Nero placed the telescope on her hand.

"Where are you, Fang?" she muttered to herself. She then let out a small gasp. "I see them. I see them!"

Lightning snatched the telescope from her. "Where?"

The girl pointed down at the lower ramps. "Down there. Near the walkway!"

Lightning looked at the location that was indicated, and saw that Vanille was right. Their friends were still alive. However, they were stuck on a wall, covered in slime.

"They seem to be alright. But that can change at any moment," she said.

Hope looked across the cavern, and saw that a huge hole in the wall allowed sunlight into the cave. His gaze then went up to the ceiling, and then to the platform.

"Hey, Vanille. Do you think that if the cave's ceiling gave in, sunlight would enter?" he wondered.

She shrugged. "I don't know, why?"

"Just thinking..."

Light looked at the boy. "Do you have a plan?"

"Maybe, but it's a long shot."

"_A_ plan is better than _no_ plan, kid. You might as well tell us," insisted Nero.

After thinking to himself, Hope spoke. "Well. We know that these demons blow up in the sunlight, right?"

"Yeah?"

"Well, if we found a way to blow up the ceiling, without taking the whole cave with it-"

"We can expose them to sunlight," Lightning continued, catching on to what he was saying.

"And take them all out at the same time," finished the boy.

Grinning, Vanille nodded. "Let's do it!"

"Hold up!" Nero interrupted. "I'm all for it, but how exactly are we gonna get the ceiling to cave in, no pun intended?"

Hope once again looked around the cavern, before spotting something on the far left. It was a crane, that looked similar to the ones used in construction.

"There. We could use that crane," he proposed.

"We could, if it works," Lightning commented.

"I think so. And if not, it's nothing a bit of l'Cie magic couldn't fix," he reasoned.

"Alright. But still, we need to make sure it gets all of the demons. We'll only get one chance, so we need to make it count," Nero explained.

Vanille quickly shot her hand up, like school girl. "Oh, I know! We could use bait! These demons like eating meat, so we could put some on the platform, and have even bigger meat for the big demon!"

Thinking to himself, Nero nodded. "Okay. Now the only problem is what we're going to use for bait."

Nero rubbed his chin, as his eyes turned to look at the chocobo. Seeing this, Vanille smacked the side of his head.

"Don't even think about it!" she warned.

Rubbing his head, Nero sighed. "Fine. Leave the bait to me."

"That's pretty much my plan... But there's still the problem of getting the others out of there," whispered Hope.

Lightning sighed to herself. Indeed, taking out the hive was easier said than done, but it did seem easier than getting the other l'Cie out without getting the attention of the demons.

As she shifted from her spot, she heard the sound of liquid moving in a bottle. Curious, she looked at the source of the noise, which came from her side pocket on her coat. she pulled out a round bottle that looked like a spray.

Lightning's eyes widened in mild surprise, before speaking. "Guys? I think I have the answer."

The three l'Cie looked at the soldier, and then at the item in her possession.

Vanille instantly recognized it. "Deceptisol!"

"But how?" asked Nero.

Lightning paused to think about it. "It was back when we entered. Fang tossed it to me. I guess I forgot to give it back."

"Lightning, do you mind?" she asked, as she held her hand out. The soldier gave the Shroud to her.

She shook it briefly, before smiling. "We're in luck! There's enough for one more spray."

"Then we better make it count," Hope whispered.

Nero smirked. "Sounds like a plan."

Hope grinned. "Looks like we know what we're gonna do today."

Nero quickly frowned. "Wait... Say that again."

Hope looked at Nero with a confused look. "Say what?"

Nero narrowed his eyes at Hope, before shaking his head. "Nothing. Never mind."

* * *

><p>The Megistotherian snarled at the Behemoth King, before lunging at it. The Behemoth King jumped away quickly, and swiped it's buzz saw at its opponent.<p>

Before they could continue, a voice from above interrupted.

"SURPRISE, ASSHOLES!"

Both beasts looked up, to see a human, and a chocobo pounce on them.

* * *

><p>Two large bags were dropped in front of the three l'Cie. They instantly cringed at the smell of cooked meat.<p>

"What did you get?" asked Hope.

"Those two freaks from the cave's opening," Nero answered casually.

Vanille smirked. "So I take it you used the chocobo's help to get it?"

Groaning, Nero looked away, but his gaze fell on the chocobo. After a moment, he responded with, "Maybe."

The chocobo chick chirped, as it flew around the avian's head.

"Look, regardless of how you got it, we have our bait," Hope said, as he spoke up. "We're finally ready."

Nodding, Lightning stood up. She took out the Deceptisol, and sprayed it all over the group.

"Now, let's go save our friends," she declared.

* * *

><p>Lightning hid near the main walkway, waiting for everyone to be in position. Behind her was one of the bait bags meant for the demons.<p>

Hope rode the chocobo, albeit nervously, and used it to hop to the crane. When he got off of it, he unfortunately fell on his bottom.

Nero and Vanille made their way onto a ledge on the right side of the cavern, with the second bag of bait. Using her Binding Rod, Vanille threw the wires of her rod over piece of machinery that was sticking out. They lapped over it, and the hooks returned to them. Nero grabbed them, and latched the hooks onto the bait. He then pushed the bag away, to let it hang in mid-air.

Vanille was forced forward by the weight of the bag, but Nero grabbed her just in time. He then grabbed the Binding Rod, and held it with her.

"Now for the signal," he stated. Nero then raised his Bringer, knowing that it would be seen from across the cavern.

Lightning looked up, and saw that Nero had raised his Bringer. Taking a deep breath, she made her move.

Grabbing the bag, she ran forward, and tossed it into the air. The bait flew over to the platform where most of the Luminites were working. When it made contact with the floor, its contents splattered across the ground.

At that moment, all of the Luminites ceased their movement. Their sense of smell caught onto something delicious. At the same time, all of the Luminites went to the top platform. Those who were already there, headed for the middle of the platform.

Lightning saw this, and stealthily began to move. She stayed close to the side, to make sure that she did not come into contact with any of the insects.

Hope used Blizzard to freeze the lock to the crane, before pushing the door open. He went inside, and examined the controls. There was a steering wheel, which most likely rotated the crane, and two levers; one blue and one red.

Hope turned the steering wheel counter-clockwise, to make the crane aligned with the platform. He then looked at the two levers nervously, before deciding to pull the red one.

He was about to do it, when a loud roar was heard. The boy looked out the window, and saw that there was a large hole on the far end of the room. Strangely, there was a light coming from it, that was becoming brighter, and brighter.

Nero and Vanille paused, as the roar was heard. Both l'Cie looked at the hole where the light was shining, and gasped as something came out.

Fluttering to the ground, was a huge, insect demon. Like the Luminites, it had a golden color, but had large wings on its appendage. It had six legs, and two clawed arms, with four sharp fingers. Strangely, two large blades were on its hands, where the middle fingers would be. Its torso was somewhat built, and its head had two green eyes on the side, two antennae, and a horn on its forehead. Its face had menacing green eyes, and mouth with sharp teeth.

Nero watched silently, as the creature made its way around the platform. To the part where Lightning was.

The soldier was walking down a ramp, when she finally saw the large demon. Thinking quickly, she hid on the side of the ramp closest to the wall. Light looked over it to keep her eyes on the large insect.

It was then, when the demon stopped, that Lightning became nervous. The demon slowly turned its head in her direction, causing her to crouch even more. She quickly covered her mouth, as if knowing it could hear her breathing.

After a few seconds, the large demon looked away, and began moving again. Lightning remained in her spot for a few more seconds, before hurrying to the others.

Hope watched as the demon moved again, before continuing to work on the crane. He pulled on the red lever, which caused the angle of the crane to shift upwards. Carefully, he pulled the blue lever, and it began to stretch the crane towards the ceiling. He pulled it again, to stop it. Hope was glad to know it was working, but the problem was that it would not stretch fast enough.

Nero and Vanille watched as the demon approached their bait. Both l'Cie hid behind a rock as it came closer.

Lightning finally made it to the bottom, and found the other captive l'Cie. Taking out her survival knife, she walked over to Snow, and started to cut off the dry slime. After cutting off the slime from his arms and legs, she gently laid him on the ground.

"Snow," she whispered. "Snow, wake up!"

"Ugh..." groaned Snow, as he was slowly coming to consciousness.

Impatience getting the best of her, Lightning backhanded Snow to wake him up.

"OW- mmf!" shrieked Snow, as Lightning covered his mouth.

"Be quiet!" she hissed. She removed her hand from his mouth. Slowly, Lightning took her knife out, and placed it on his hand. "Help me with the others."

Blinking, Snow struggled to get up, before getting onto his knees. He shook his head, before wobbling over to Sazh. Lightning had unsheathed her Saber, and began to free Fang.

Snow had finally reached the last piece of slime, and cut Sazh free. He then shook Sazh to awaken him.

"Hey, Sazh. Wake up!" he whispered. He then began to slap the afro man in the face, which quickly got his attention.

"Huh? Uh... Hu- AH-"

Snow quickly cut him off with a stressed "Shush," before helping him up.

"C'mon. We're getting outta here," he announced quietly.

Both men walked over to the soldier, who had managed to wake Fang up. The Huntress stood up wearily, using her Lance as leverage.

"Ugh... Huh? I- I'm alive?" wondered Fang.

"Yeah. Now let's go," ordered Lightning

"Hey, hold up," interjected Sazh. "Where are the others?"

Lightning didn't stop, but she did address him. "Dealing with those demonic freaks."

Sazh only scoffed in annoyance. "I hate demons."

Nero held onto the Binding Rod, as did Vanille. He noticed her fearful expression, as the large demon examined the bait closely.

She looked up at him, as he placed his finger on his mouth, telling her to stay quiet.

He smiled at her. "Don't worry," he whispered. "This will work. Trust me."

A voice then caused him to frown. **"It is rude to lie, Descendant of Sparda."**

Suddenly, both he and the girl shot up to the air, as the demon grabbed the hooks of the Binding Rod, while the bait was in its other hand.

**"One may become invisible, but you could never hide the scent of the traitor,"** it bellowed. It then opened its mouth, and ate the bait.

The demon then tossed both l'Cie to top of the metal platform. **"And none can hide from the light of Lumantis, Light God of the Demonic Realm."**

The other l'Cie, who managed to get off of the platform, watched in horror as the events unfolded.

"VANILLE!" cried Fang.

Hope looked out of the window, and paled. "Oh no..."

Nero groaned as he got up from the floor. He helped Vanille up, but was then welcomed with the sight of Lumantis approaching them.

"So you're a Demon God, huh?" Nero asked. "Ain't it kinda weird for a demon to represent something good like light?"

**"Light can be used to obliterate life, just like it can illuminate the darkness,"** it explained. **"And please, cease with your worthless insults. Unlike my predecessors, I am immune to your tasteless remarks."**

"You sure about that? You look ready to fall on your ass any minute now. Just like your predecessors," Nero quipped.

Noticing what he was doing, Vanille walked forward. "Yeah! You're... don't look too... bright?"

Nero slowly turned to the girl, and shook his head disapprovingly. "Next time, leave the smack talk to me, will ya?"

Vanille grinned awkwardly. "Sorry!"

"Don't worry. "You'll get there som-"

He was sent flying when Lumantis' claw slammed into him. He skidded across the platform, and stopped on the other side.

Hope pulled the blue lever again, causing the crane to stretch. However, to his annoyance, it was moving slowly.

"Darn it! It's still too slow!" he scowled, as he slammed his hands on the controls.

It was then, when he looked at his l'Cie mark, and remembered what he could do.

Vanille stepped back fearfully, as Lumantis glared at her. Thinking quickly, she turned to run off. However, her path was blocked by the Luminites that were coming up the ramp. Something then tugged on her fur pelt, and lifted her from the ground.

Fang watched in horror, as her best friend cried in terror.

Lightning glanced at the crane. "Hope, come on!"

Fearful cries went into Nero's ears, as he slowly got to his knees. He looked up to see, to his horror, Vanille in the hands of Lumantis.

"Let her go!" he demanded, as he unsheathed his Red Queen. "Your fight's with me!"

He ran across the platform, and jumped toward the Demon God of Light. However, Lumantis opened its mouth, and fired a beam of light at the half-demon. The force of the attack sent him crashing to the ground.

**"You will have your turn, Descendant of Sparda,"** Lumantis assured. **"I however, need to be reminded of the taste of human flesh."**

The demon raised its left arm over its body, and tilted its head up. Vanille screamed, as the demons mouth opened.

"Hey! Asshole! I said your fight's with me!" He took out Blue Rose and fired at Lumantis. However, most of the bullets did not reach its head, and bounced off of its gold torso.

Fang had tears in her eyes, as she saw what the demon was about to do. "STOP IT! Please! She doesn't deserve this!"

Nero growled to himself, but he was slowly beginning to panic. He was about to do it again. He was about to fail.

Then, a Luminite lunged forward, intending to devour him. He managed to spot in the corner of his eye, and managed to grab its head in mid-air.

"Piss off, you freakin' bug!" Nero then slammed the demon's head on the ground, killing it instantly.

Scowling he turned to the Demon God once more. However, he noticed something significant. It had paused.

Another Luminite jumped forward, but Nero shot two bullets into its cranium.

Nero looked back at Lumantis, and noticed that it was lowering the arm that held Vanille.

It was then and there, that the Grandson of Sparda looked at the demon's eyes. He had almost missed it, but it was there.

The despair of losing someone.

Nero quietly grinned to himself, before gasping loudly.

"Oh... I'm sorry, but... Was that, by any chance, your son?"

Faster than light, Lumantis' head snapped at Nero, roaring ferociously at him.

'So he does have a weakness.'

"So I'm guessing this one's Little Jimmy?" he asked, as used his Bringer to Snatch one of the Lumintes. As soon as it got close to him, he slammed it onto the floor.

Snarling with fury, Lumantis then threw Vanille to the side, sending her flying.

Fortunately, she was flying towards the other l'Cie.

"Hang on, I got her!" shouted Snow.

"No, I got her!" shouted Sazh.

Both men scrambled backwards, waiting for her to reach them. As soon as she did, the force of the impact caused both of them to fall backwards. Fortunately, this broke her fall.

Fang instantly ran over to them, and pushed both men to the side. "Vanille! Are you okay?"

When the Pulsian girl sat up, she blinked twice to realize where she was. When she saw who had spoken to her, she let out a loud gasped, and hugged her friend.

"Fang! You're alive!" she cried.

Returning the hug, the Huntress chuckled. "Of course I'm alive! And thankfully so are you."

"Hehe, yep!"

Fang then pulled away, and gripped her shoulders. "Don't ever scare me like that again, got it?"

More gunshots rang throughout the cavern. The reunited group looked up at the platform, and saw Nero shooting at the Luminite on the ground.

Nero grinned ferociously, as Lumantis inched closer to him, with every Luminite he killed.

"You know what I hate most about bugs?" he told. "They can never take a hint!" He then began to stomp on the corpse of a dead demon. "Why-" Stomp. "Can't-" Stomp. "They learn-" Stomp. "To bug-" Stomp. "OFF!"

He then kicked the corpse away, and came face-to-face with their parent. Nero could instantly tell, from the look of its eyes, that it was beyond furious.

**"I am going to make you suffer the same pain, that you have inflicted upon my children,"** it snarled. **"You will suffer a punishment more painful than that of Sparda!"**

Nero only frowned. "And you're gonna pay the price for hurting my friends."

Lumantis only chuckled. **"Oh, is that so?"**

Nero smirked. "Yep."

Hope fired a Thunder spell at the controls. Not even a second later, the machine came alive. The crane's stretching quickened, shooting the top towards the ceiling.

"Right about... Now."

Then, the crane hit cave's ceiling. Hearing the crumbling sound of rocks, Lumantis looked up, and saw rocks falling towards it. It opened its jaw, and fired a light beam to obliterate the rocks.

It then looked down to its children, roared at what it saw. Sunlight had entered the cave.

All of the Luminites it had bred were jerking wildly. Then, one of them exploded in a bright light. Another one followed. Then two more. Then three. Five. Ten.

The Luminites exploded one by one. The blasts were in range of the eggs as well, incinerating them to ashes. The force of the explosions shook the platform, making Nero fall to his feet.

When he stood up again, he saw that the entire platform was covered in the remains of the Luminites. Now, they were as good as extinct.

**"MY CHILDREEEEEN!"**

All except one.

The demon hunter looked up at the Demon God, looking on as it roared ferociously.

Nero's eyes widened. "You're not dead... Why aren't you dead?"

**"You knew their weakness... They were imperfect in that age... As they matured, they would have learned to absorb sunlight into energy... Like me..."**

It then glared at him hatefully. **"And now... I will use the sun's power, TO OBLITERATE YOUR EXISTENCE, FOR ETERNITY!"**

Nero mentally cursed to himself. He had just given the enemy the power it needed to kill him.

Suddenly, he heard a loud screeching noise. Nero looked over his shoulder, and saw that the crane had lowered, and was aiming for Lumantis' back.

Quickly, he dashed to the Demon God of Light, and dove underneath it. Lumantis was about to reach for him, when something struck its back. The beast roared in pain, as it fell to the side of the platform and to the bottom.

Nero, who had crouched down and covered his head, waited for a few seconds. He then lifted his head up, and saw that the demon was gone. He was even more relieved, when he heard the cheers from his friends.

The man stood up, and looked over to the crane, and saw that Hope had waved at him, and gave him a "thumb's up."

Nero returned the gesture, and smiled at him. "I owe ya, kid... I owe ya b-"

Lumantis' arm swatted Nero, and sent him flying to the side. He soared in the air for a few seconds, before falling down below the platform.

When he made contact, he instantly howled in pain. Clutching the side of his stomach, he tried to stand up, but ultimately managed to make it onto all fours.

Loud thuds came within earshot, as he turned to face the furious Lumantis.

**"DIIIIIEEEE!"** it bellowed, as it retracted its blade and swung at him.

Nero wanted to jump out of the way, but he still felt the pain of the impact. Time slowed down, as the demon's arm continued its path. Sighting, Nero closed his eyes, accepting that which had arri-

"KWEH!"

Nero suddenly felt himself lifted off of the ground, and landed on something soft.

Opening his eyes, Nero was welcomed with the sight of golden feathers. "What the-"

"KWEH!"

His head shot up, and Nero gazed at the face of the chocobo. He then looked over his shoulder, and saw that the demon's attack had missed.

Nero then turned back to the chocobo. "You... You saved me?"

The avian responded with a happy, "KWEH!"

A screeching howl caught their attention.

**"YOU CANNOT RUN, DESCENDANT OF SPARDAAAAA!"**

Eyes narrowing, Nero glanced at the chocobo. Slowly, he reached for its sideburns, and gripped them tightly.

With a loud, "HYAH," Nero and he chocobo sped away from Lumantis.

It roared as it gave chase. **"YOU CANNOT HIDE FROM ME! LIGHT WILL ALWAYS SHOW THAT WHICH IS HIDDEN IN DARKNEEEEESS!"**

The group of l'Cie watched as Nero and the chocobo rode deeper into the tunnels.

"Aw man, how're we gonna follow them?" wondered Snow.

"I dunno!" blurted Sazh.

Then a voice caught their attention. The group turned to see Hope Estheim running to them, with the chocobo chick in tow. Chirping happily, it flew around Sazh's head.

"Hehe. Nice to see you're alright."

"Guys! What're we gonna do?" Hope asked in a worried tone.

Before anyone could answer, the area slowly began to shake. Everyone slowly turned, to see a large rolling fal'Cie going into the tunnel both Nero and the demon had entered.

Everyone looked at each other briefly, before running into the tunnel behind them.

-Deep in the Dark-

Nero and the chocobo rounded the corner, to avoid the oncoming beam of light. As Lumantis rounded the corner, Nero aimed at the Demon God's head, and fired. His bullets made contact, as the insect howled in pain. Nero looked over his shoulder, to see that he had shot one of its eyes. Surprisingly, it still gave chase.

Lumantis swung its arm at them, intending to cut them in two. Nero quickly unsheathed his Red Queen, and swung the sword at the arm. Luckily, it made contact, and the arm slid past them.

The six l'Cie made it to a platform along the cave wall. Around the room, several large machines were digging through the walls.

The l'Cie ran up to the railing, and looked down the tunnel.

"See anything?" Snow asked.

Fang narrowed her eyes at the tunnel. Deep down, she saw a small light, that was growing by the second.

"I see something!" she announced, as she pointed. "That light deep in the tunnel. It's gotta be from the demon!"

"It's growing faster," Lightning observed. "That means its still chasing Nero."

Hope looked on in worry. Nero was running out of time. If the demon didn't get him, then the fal'Cie would.

The boy looked around, and noticed the large machine nearby. It had two long limbs that served as arms, and appeared to be a bipedal robot. It also has claws that could penetrate stone.

Recalling an event that involved one of these machines, Hope then had an idea. He slowly walked behind the others, and made his way up the ramp.

Nero fired Blizzaga spells at Lumantis' legs, hoping to slow him down. However, they only managed to cause damage. Unfortunately, it did not seem to cool it down. It only fueled the fire of its rage for Nero even more.

The half-demon then fired a Ruinga at the demon's face. When it made contact, Lumantis stumbled.

Finally getting the chance to gain some distance from the demon, looked forward. "C'mon, pal! Let's go faster!"

The chocobo began sprinting away from the demon, finally increasing the gap between them.

Hope sat on the Dreadnought, and looked for a certain button. When he found it, he pressed it. What followed was a small whirring sound, and shaking. Hope held onto the seat of the machine, as it stood to its full height.

"Alright. Now to-"

Suddenly, the Dreadnought began moving forward.

Nero and the chocobo were still a good distance away, when he noticed a platform nearby. Narrowing his eyes, he managed to see that his friends were there.

Suddenly, a beam went over him, and collided with a nearby wall. This caused for large rocks to fall onto the path.

Noticing the falling boulders, the chocobo made an immediate stop, fluttering in the air as it did so. This, however, caught Nero by surprise, thus causing him to fall off of the chocobo.

Vanille gasped in horror, as the light down the tunnel grew larger. "Oh no! NERO!"

Lumantis laughed with glee, as it continued toward Nero. **"HAHAHAHAHAHA! You are dead, Descendant of Sparda! DEEEAAAAD!"**

"Wait!" shouted Hope, as the Dreadnought continued. "Stop already!"

Hearing the boy's cry, The other l'Cie looked up, and saw, to their shock, Hope riding on the Dreadnought.

"Damn it!" Lightning cursed. "It's the Vile Peaks, all over again!"

Nero crawled away slowly, as Lumantis approached. He fired at it with his Blue Rose, but none of the bullets reached its head, and bounced off of its body.

The Demon God opened its mouth to fire a light beam, charging it for better results. The half demon could hear it chuckling menacingly.

The chocobo pulled on Nero's hood, but he tried pushing it away. "Get outta here! GO!"

Lumantis reared back, meaning it was ready to fire at him.

**"HEHEHE... Goodbye, Descendant of Sparda."**

Suddenly, Lumantis felt something large fall on its back. The force of the object caused it to fall forward.

Nero covered his face with his Bringer, to avoid the dust. He slowly looked up, to see a large machine standing in front og him. Crouching right next to it was Hope.

"HOPE! Get the hell out of here! GO NOW!" he ordered.

Instead of following his orders, Hope ran up to Nero, and helped him up. "Come on! We don't have much time!"

Then the Dreadnought was swatted to the side, as Lumantis once again rored with fury.

**"RAAAAAGGHH! I'VE HAD WITH YOU L'CIE! DIIIIIIEEEEE!"**

It was then that the whole area began to shake. Hope paled when this occurred. Nero tried keeping his balance, and held onto the chocobo.

A rumbling sound was heard, and its volume grew rapidly.

Lumantis sensed the source of the shaking behind it, and turned around. Its eyes widened, when it saw Atomos rolling in its direction.

Nero then saw this as well, and dove for Hope. He turned the boy away from the fal'Cie, intending to shield him.

The other l'Cie gasped and cried out in horror at what was about to happen.

**"NOOOOOOOOOO-"**

Atomos ran Lumantis over. The demon's howl echoed throughout the tunnel.

Nero scrunched his eyes close, waiting for the end that would come.

He waited for seconds. Seconds quickly became a minute.

Nero opened his right eye, and realized he was still alive.

"What the...?"

Hope had opened his eyes as well, and looked back at the fal'Cie. What he saw astounded him.

"Nero, look!"

Said man did as he was told, and looked back. He blinked twice, to confirm if what he was seeing was real. "No way!"

Before them, the Dreadnought had jumped in front of Atomos, and pushed against it.

"Is- Is it trying to help us?" Hope wondered.

"Looks like it, kid," Nero replied. "Come on! You can do it!"

Something large then landed next to them. Both l'Cie turned to see another Dreadnought landed next to them. Then another, and another. The machines walk forward, and pushed against the fal'Cie.

Lumantis screeched in pain, as Atomos continued to crush it. After a few more moments, they screeching ceased. As Atomos slowed to a stop, particles of light dissolved into the air.

Lightning looked at the sight in awe. "What did they... Just do?"

Vanille smiled happily. "They stopped the fal'Cie, and helped to defeat the demon."

"That was actually pretty cool! Go, robot guys!" cheered Snow.

Sazh looked at the scene pensively. "You know, that's a good lesson for us. This showed that no fearsome demon, or almighty fal'Cie, is a match for the power of teamwork." He gave a small chuckle. "Wow. Now that's inspiration, right there."

Fang interrupted him. "Yeah? Well save the sermons, old man! We've gotta get those three out of there."

Vanille leaned on the railing. "Are you two okay?" she called.

Nero looked up, and raised his thumb. "Peachy!"

Both the half-demon and the young boy then let their bodies slump back, which landed on the chocobo. Neroe looked up, and the chocobo squawked happily.

"I saved your life... and you saved mine," he said, as he gently ran his hand down its neck, petting it.

He smiled at it. "Consider us even."

Ch. 29: Sink or Swim

As the l'Cie recover from their recent battle, they come across the Sulyya Springs, home to the fal'Cie Bismarck. However, they are intercepted by the last Demon God, who vows to avenge her fellow brethren. Can the group survive this final being of terrible might?

**AN: Newest longest chapter I've ever written.**

** Four months is too damn long! Hope you guys like this chapter. We're getting to, what I like to call, the juicy parts of the story, so I'll be able to keep going forward.**

**Oh yeah...**

**KINGDOM HEARTS III GOT ANNOUNCED! *girlish scream***

**Read & Revieeeeww... *faints***


	30. Sink or Swim

**Capcom and Square-Enix own DMC and FFXIII respectively. AN: Wow. Has it really been two years, since I started this fic? I expected to be done by now, but then again, it's both my and school's fault.**

**I forgot to mention something else last chapter... VERSUS XIII IS FINAL FANTASY XV! *girlish scream***

**So Squeenix lied to us when they said Versus wasn't XV.**

**Still, I HATE how some people are complaining! HELLO? It's as if this is the first time they've heard of this game! And now, they're whining about how, "There's no turn based gameplay," or "They got rid of ATB," or how "They'll use ARPG for future Final Fantasies!" One person even said that "ARPGs are meant for spin offs, not numbered titles!" ARE YOU KIDDING ME? No Final Fantasy is the same! I don't even have to play them all to know that! And they're hating on the "Fantasy based on Reality" theme. Wasn't Final Fantasy VII modern? And it got Game of the Year! **

**I'm gonna say it here and now... I believe Final Fantasy XV is the one that becomes the NEXT BIG Final Fantasy. If that happens, we will most likely get a FFVII remake, because they said that they would only make it if there was a game that was better than FFVII. I believe that FFXV is that game.**

**The gameplay trailer was just... perfect.**

**And one more thing: THAT HOODED GUY IS NOT EZIO!**

***sigh* Okay, rants over. Here's the next chapter.**

Flower-filled Fissure- Sink or Swim

"Ugh," groaned Fang, as she poured water over her head.

The group had come to a unanimous decision, that those who had gotten kidnap needed to rinse themselves off at the stream back in the Fissure. Snow and Sazh had already finished theirs, and Fang was finishing up hers.

She didn't bother to remove her garments. To Fang, they were everything she ever needed to live out her life.

Nearby, Vanille hummed to herself, as she waited for her best friend to finish up.

When Fang did, she stretched her arms, letting a relaxed sigh escape her lips. "Ah. I feel better already!"

The Pulsian teen giggled to herself. It was at that moment, when she remembered what she had seen earlier.

"Oh! Fang, there's something I need you to see."

Looking at her friend jump up from her spot, Fang arched an eyebrow curiously. She followed Vanille, until she knelt down next to a patch of flowers. The Pulsian woman glanced at them, and instantly recognized them.

"Hey... Aren't those...?"

"Yep!" Vanille responded. "Oerban Wildflowers!"

"Yeah, I remember!" Fang realized. "These things grew all over Oerba!"

"When we were coming up with the plan to save you, I told Nero about them. He thinks that we're near Oerba," her friend explained.

"Well, I wouldn't disagree with that." She agreed, as she grabbed her lance from the wall.

Fang then looked around. Despite the fact that this was her home world, everything looked different. From what the others had said, this was all caused by the War of Transgression. And according to Vanille, she attacked Cocoon's shell, and fought against Sparda.

The thing was though, Fang didn't believe her.

Despite that they had been chosen to fight in the War, Vanille was very soft. Even in their current battles, Vanille would always be providing support, and attacking from a distance. She was too nice for her own good.

Which meant only one thing: Vanille was lying.

And it was when Vanille made her way to her friend, where Fang got an idea.

"Hey, Van," she said. "I'm the one who did this, right?"

Vanille quickly looked at her friend. "What do you mean?"

"It's my fault, isn't it?" she asked. "I'm the one that made Gran Pulse like this, right?"

The Pulsian girl instantly froze, as a cold feeling went down her spine. "Wha-"

"I remember everything, now," she revealed. "I was the one that turned into Ragnarok. I brought terror and destruction to Cocoon, and fought against Sparda... And I made our world into the mess that it is today."

"It was me. It was always me."

The girl had a worried look in her eyes. "W- What are you talking about?"

"It all came back to me, suddenly," Fang explained. "Everything about us, and what happened to our Focus. All of it."

Vanille shook her head frantically. "N-No! Y-You're lying."

Vanille then felt pain from her left thigh. She quickly looked at it, and saw that her mark was glowing orange.

Fang shook her head. "Nope, it's the real truth," she answered casually. "It's all my fault."

Anxiety quickly overwhelmed Vanille. With the l'Cie brand going off, as well as Fang's claims, her worst fears were occurring before her eyes.

No longer able to take the stress, Vanille abruptly shouted, "DON'T SAY THAT! IT'S NOT TRUE!"

Suddenly, a seal appeared on her l'Cie mark. Another larger seal appeared beneath her feet. Many circles were inside, while the seal spun counter-clockwise.

Fang felt the powerful aura behind her, and turned to her friend. "Vanille, what's-"

Multiple arms shot out from the floor. Frightened, Vanille quickly ran out of the summon rune.

The armored arms rose up from the ground, and with them, a large creature. It had four circular shoulder guards, which had many arms sticking out from them. It had two legs, and was red and grey. Four arms crossed its torso, and its long neck leaned forward. Vanille could feel it looking at her with its blue eyes. Three long fins curled forward. Both l'Cie looked at the Earth Eidolon, Hecatoncheir, as it was fully summoned.

Fang pulled out her lance, yet could not stop smirking victoriously. "Not the truth, you say? Well this Eidolon seems to think otherwise."

Fang couldn't help but gloat. "Ha! I knew it! I was right!"

Vanille looked at her friend. "Wait. You _were_ lying!"

"Oh, and you weren't? Miss "I Don't Remember Anything?"" Fang shot back. "You do remember, admit it!"

"But Fang, it wasn't- It wasn't your fault!" she responded.

Fang pushed the l'Cie back, as Hecatoncheir extended its arms at them, firing them at a quick speed.

Sighing, the Huntress took out her Bladed Lance. "Look. As much I want to talk about it, it'll have to wait until we deal with "Helping Hands," over here!"

Nodding, Vanille took out her Binding Rod, and readied herself, as Hecatoncheir began its next assault.

-Deep in the Dark-

"Shouldn't have chugged down all that water," Nero muttered.

Nero was in the tunnels, away from the other four l'Cie. Seeing Sazh and Snow dripping wet from their cleaning was enough to force Nero to react internally.

He sighed in grateful relief as he, as others would say, "emptied the tank."

It was when he finished, however, when his Bringer internally reacted, thus going off.

He looked at his demonic arm quizzically, looking back to where the others were. They were a bit far, but he heard no sounds of a struggle.

Nero quickly deduced that the situation was coming from the two Pulsian Natives. And what annoyed him the most, was that it was not a demon that was at the core of the dilemma.

"Now of all times," he muttered, as he fastened the belt around his waist.

When he did, he ran off towards the direction of the two l'Cie.

-Flower-filled Fissure-

Fang swung both halves of her Lance in mid-air, striking Hecatoncheir while it raised its four arms in defense. It then lashed at her by firing its arms, forcing her backwards. It then caught her with a spinning kick, a Hurricane Kick, that sent her flying back.

Vanille quickly ran to her friend, and fired Cura spells at her. She then looked up to see, to her horror, that Hecatoncheir had jumped into the air, and was spinning vertically. It then slammed its arms down onto them, and spires of rock forced both l'Cie back. Its Aerial Tackle had done its damage.

Fang got up from the ground, and charged again. During this, the Eidolon fired its arms on the ground, causing spires of stone to intercept her.

Vanille looked on in horror, as her friend hit the ground. Her eyes then widened, as she saw Hecatoncheir walking towards her.

Seeing what it had done to her friend, she gave it one of the hardest glares she ever gave.

"You hurt my friend... Who do you think you are!" she shouted.

Hecatoncheir then slammed its right arms at her, intending to crush her. Letting out a frightened cry, Vanille dove away from the oncoming metal arms. Quickly getting up, she jumped away from the oncoming arms that stretched toward her.

Adrenaline rushing in her, she launched hooks from her Binding Rod, and they latched onto some of the arms. Using the momentum of her side jump, she quickly saw a nearby stone spire, and ran around it. She pulled tightly, as the Eidolon pulled in retaliation.

Knowing that she did not have much time, Vanille prepared a very powerful spell. "Alright. Here I come."

From her brand, she summoned forth a sphere of dark energy. Carefully making sure that Hecatoncheir was in the right place, she then fired her lethal spell at the Eidolon.

When it made contact, the being was instantly sent backwards. Dark rifts of energy surrounded Hecatoncheir, as its suddenly began failing. When the rift disappeared, the Eidolon fell on its knees, seemingly finished.

Vanille too fell on her knees, weakened. She loathed having to use the Death spell. She only used it when she and her friends were in a difficult fight. She sighed in relief. Vanille had been told that the spell did not work on Eidolons, but it would seem that it was a lie.

Then, a sound caused her to freeze. The Pulsian girl looked to see Hecatoncheir rising up from its position. She began hyperventilating, as it approached. The girl would be done in by her mistake, for putting all of her energy in a spell that had no effect on Eidolons.

Then, in a startling move, one of Hecatoncheir's arms extended towards her. She warily watched, as the Eidolon offered to help her up. Vanille slowly reached for the Eidolon's hand, and it gently helped her up.

When Vanille stood up to her full height, Hecatoncheir bowed before its new master. And a bright flash of light, the Earth Eidolon disappeared.

Finally relieved that the being was gone, Vanille looked at her friend, who was on the ground. Running hurriedly, she knelt down to Fang, and shook her.

"Fang! Fang! Are you alright?" she said in a scared way.

After a few more shakes, Fang's hand grabbed Vanille's arm.

She shook her head quickly, and glanced up at her friend. Fang waved her hand dismissively as she stood up.

"I'm fine. I'm good," assured Fang.

Sighing, Vanille stood up. "Good. Glad that's over."

"It ain't over. We've got a few things to discuss," interjected Fang.

Vanille stood still, as Fang was silent for a whole minute.

"You lied to me," spoke Fang.

"But Fang-"

"Y'know, I knew something was off," she continued. "You've been tryin' to shy away from our Focus, ever since we woke up on Cocoon."

Vanille nervously twiddled her fingers. But I-"

"For a good while, I couldn't understand why. But after our encounter with Raines, it made sense. That story of his made me realize that you knew the truth."

Two winged beasts flew overhead, as Fang turned to give her friend a hard glare. "You knew Ragnarok was the name of destruction."

"It wasn't fair!" she exclaimed, finally caught in the lie. "You had to do all of the terrible stuff! I didn't do anythi-"

"THAT'S NO REASON TO LIE TO ME!" Fang blurted. "You think that's what I wanted? You? OF ALL PEOPLE?"

Fang slowly raised her fist, which caused Vanille to step away in fear.

She waited for what seemed like an eternity for Fang's fist to collide with her. However, instead of the hard punch to her face, a weak nudge hit her forehead. Surprised, Vanille looked up to see her friend. She expected to see a face of anger and fury, but was instead met with a face of compassion and sympathy.

"Poor kid, you've had it rough," she consoled.

Fang then reached for her friend's shoulders, and gripped them gently.

"Listen to me, Van. You don't have to worry anymore. You are not alone," she assured.

This took Vanille by surprise. She had indeed expected Fang to be angry with her if she had ever discovered the truth. But seeing her friend be this forgiving after what she had done, was all that was needed to force her into tears.

"I'm so sorry," she sobbed. "I-I'm- I'm so-"

Fang returned her response with a hug. "Knock it off... Keep it up, and I'll be cryin' with ya!"

Sighing, Fang's tone changed as Vanille cried freely on her shoulder. "We've got a new family now. You, me, Hope, Light, and the others. So from now on, we stick together. Alright?"

Vanille nodded, as she continued to cry. Fang tightened her hug, and patted her best friend's head. Inside, she knew that they would be alright.

"Fang! Vanille!" called a voice from the caves.

Both girls turned to see Nero running out of the cave, with Red Queen in hand.

"Guys, I felt the Eidolon! You guys okay? Where is it? You didn't get hurt did..."

It was then, when he noticed that both Fang and Vanille were hugging each other.

He cast a wary eye at both l'Cie. "You two alright? I'm not in the middle of somethin', am I?"

Groaning, Fang let go of her friend. "Nope. Everything's fine now. Right, Vanille?"

Sniffling, the girl nodded, as she wiped her eyes.

Nero's eyes narrowed at them, before shrugging. "Well, if you say so. C'mon, let's head back.

"Right," agreed Fang, as she walked past the devil hunter. But then, she stopped.

"Oh, and Nero? Zip up your pants. No one wants to see your drawers."

Nero frowned heavily, and saw that the Huntress was telling the truth. Turning away from both ladies, he closed his zipper, before glaring at Fang accusingly.

"What the hell are you doin' looking down there, Fang?" demanded, obviously flustered.

"Hey, you were the one with his drawers hangin' about," she retorted.

"That's not funny, Fang!" he raged.

Vanille could not contain her laughter.

-Deep in the Dark-

The three l'Cie returned to the ramp where Atomos stopped.

Sazh looked at Nero, and immediately noticed his flustered face. "What's up with you?"

Fang spoke up. "'Caught him with his fly loose."

Snow laughed loudly, and the large chocobo joined him. Nero sent a death glare at both of them.

The young boy then saw that the two ladies were somewhat harmed. "Are you guys okay? Did something happen?"

"Yeah. My Eidolon showed up, and we managed to tame it. I've got a good nickname for it, too!" Vanille responded. "I'm gonna call him Hecaton!"

"It's full name is Hecatoncheir, but its a mouthful," added Fang.

"Still doesn't explain why this idiot had his fly undone," Lightning reminded.

"CAN WE FORGET ABOUT THE STUPID FLY?" blurted the demon hybrid.

Hope sighed, as began petting the large chocobo. "So now what do we do?"

Fang walked up to the fal'Cie. "We do what we were supposed to do. We ride this fal'Cie, and see where it takes us."

Sazh walked up to the entrance of the round being. "It looks kinda tight in there. You sure we'll fit?"

"Of course. Unless we're plannin' on bringing the big chocobo, which I doubt," she explained.

Looking at the chocobo sadly, Vanille softly rubbed its neck. "So this is good-bye..."

The chocobo squawked sadly, as it nudged its head against her. Hope rubbed the bird's wing, as it rubbed against his face.

"I'll miss you too, big guy," he lamented.

The bird then looked up at Nero, who stood up and faced the avian. Both glared at each other for a short time. Then, the chocobo rubbed its head against Nero's chest.

Nero gave a small smile, and rubbed the bird's head. "Yeah, yeah. I'll miss you too."

Vanille looked at Nero with a playful grin. "So you two are friends now?"

"Well, this guy did leave an impression on me," he grinned.

"More like a bunch of snot on your face," laughed Hope.

"Hey, kid, why don't you shut up?" Nero retorted.

"Ooooh, somebody's havin' a bad day," joked Snow.

Scowling, Nero gave a final pat to the chocobo's head, before walking away. "See you soon."

As Nero walked away, the baby chick fluttered to the chocobo, and chirped at it. The larger bird squawked at it in response.

The seven l'Cie then walked into the opening of the fal'Cie. Nero looked over his shoulder to see the chocobo one last time, as the entrance closed once and for all.

Lightning spoke up. "So, how do we start this thing?"

Vanille shrugged. "I'm not sure. Truth be told, we've never done this before."

"What?" moaned Sazh. "So then, what? Are we trapped inside this thin-"

Suddenly, loud sounds of cranking gears were heard. The l'Cie looked at one another in confusion, before being forced on to the ground with a strong jerk.

Atomos sped off, as the chocobo watched its friends go away.

-Sulyya Springs-

Atomos collided with two stone walls, before coming into contact with a dead end. It continued to spin, until the rock stopped its fins.

A hatch on its right side opened out. The l'Cie stumbled out dizzily.

Hope fell on his knees, throwing up on the ground.

Sazh chuckled wearily, as the baby chocobo fluttered dizzily around his head.

Lightning leaned against a rock, holding her head, which was going through a headache.

"Everyone alright?" she asked.

Nero stumbled past her. "Riding a fal'Cie. Sure beats walkin'!"

As Nero fell on his stomach, Snow stumbled incoherently. "You can say that again..."

The leader of NORA then tripped on the devil hunter, and fell on his back.

"I'm a-okay!" Vanille clarified. "Say, why are there four Hopes throwing up?"

A loud cheer was heard, as everyone turned to face Fang. "Now THAT'S livin' like a Pulsian!"

Lightning rubbed her temples, before regaining her footing. "Well, I guess we're still in one piece."

Sazh stood up, as the chocobo chick landed on his afro. "Yeah. But we ain't in those caves anymore."

The afro man was right. They appeared to be at the edge of the caverns, but were in an area filled with sunlight. In front of them was the opening to a tunnel.

Hope, who had finally stopped letting his insides out, got to his feet. "Where did that thing take us?"

The half demon breathed heavily, as if testing the air. "Something smells funny."

"Yeah. And is it just me, or did it get a colder all of a sudden?" Snow further inquired.

Lightning walked toward the opening, gesturing for the others to follow. "Well, wherever we are, we'll find out soon enough."

The seven l'Cie walked into the tunnel, and instantly saw the glowing moss on the wall and ground. Following the trail, the heroes then found themselves in an open cavern.

-Subterranean Lake-

There were gaps in the ceiling that allowed large waterfalls to pour into the cavern. And below them was a large lake that surrounded the entire cavern. In the center of the lake were stone land forms, that allowed one to traverse the lake.

The group stared in awe, as the waterfall's spray emitted a small rainbow at the top.

"Guess that explains why it's all cold in here. We were near a body of water," concluded the afro man.

As Lightning examined her surroundings, she noticed that water was mostly clear. "Hey, Fang. Is this a freshwater spring?"

"Looks like it," Fang responded. "There are many springs in the mountainous ranges of the Steppes, so you wouldn't be wrong."

"Alright. Then if anyone needs to refill their water jugs, now would be the time," the soldier advised.

* * *

><p>Snow looked up the floating continent. They had been gone for days. He wondered if in that time, the Sanctum had announced that they were dead.<p>

But what really bothered him, was the condition of his crystallized fiancé.

The man reached into his pocket, and pulled out the crystallize tear of Serah Farron. Lifting it up, he looked at Cocoon from the tear.

Sighing heavily, a girl's voice caught his attention. "Whatcha doin'?"

Turning around, he met Vanille's eyes, only to look down at his hand.

"Oh, nothing. Just... Talking with Serah," he replied. "I was just telling her about our crazy day, so far."

The girl gave a small laugh. "Yeah. Today was too close."

He smiled at her. "Yeah. But I was telling her that... I think we'll be okay."

Snow then extended his arm to her, with the crystal in hand. "Here. You wanna see it?"

Nodding, Vanille gently took the crystal. She lifted it up, and looked at Cocoon through it.

"It's so pretty," she admired.

Inside, Vanille remembered the first time she had met the girl named Serah. Her first impressions of her were that she was kind, wise, and selfless.

"I understand now, Serah," she said to herself. "Why you said all of that. You were crying weren't you?"

Snow blinked in surprise. "Wait, you've met Serah?"

The girl's eyes then had a sad look. "Yeah. But I was trying to hide from our Focus. And it ended up with her becoming a l'Cie."

Vanille's eyes then met Snow's, as she handed him back the crystal. "I wanted to tell her I was sorry... But I couldn't..."

Seeing her expression, Snow gave her a reassuring smile. "Who knows? If we rescue her, you might just get the chance."

The girl returned the smile. "Yeah. I'd really like that."

Giving her a pat on the shoulder, Snow then walked towards the group.

"I think she saw the vision too!"

Snow turned back to the l'Cie that had called to him. "What?"

"The vision of Ragnarok," she clarified. "Dysley must have been lying to us, when he was telling us about her Focus."

"I think she beat it! She handed Cocoon over to us, and turned to crystal because of it. I know it..."

Snow continued to stare at her for a moment, which made Vanille very uncomfortable. He then laughed happily, and began walking.

"Yep! I know!" he agreed.

* * *

><p>Hope, Sazh, Fang, and Light had already rejoined each other, while Snow and Vanille made their way back.<p>

A certain hybrid, however, stood near the water's edge.

Nero didn't know why, but he had felt uncomfortable since arriving at the Lake. He had no problems with the scenery, but something in the air bothered him.

"Nero!" The boy turned to see Light calling him. "We're heading out."

He waved her off dismissively. "Yeah. I'll be there."

Startled by the gesture, she walked up to him. "Something on your mind?"

Nero sniffed the air, while Lightning arched an eyebrow in confusion.

"You smell something?"

She shook her head. "I don't smell anything."

He shrugged. "I don't know. Something about this place is fishy. And it ain't the Sahagins."

Light glanced out to the waters. Swimming in them were large Sahagins that were chasing fish.

"I can't put my finger on it. I just feel like something's watching us," he expressed.

The soldier tensed upon hearing this. "Do you think it's a demon?"

"I'm not sure. I just feel somethin-" Suddenly his head shot up.

Lightning instantly noticed this. "What?"

He then pointed out. "Do you see that spot over there?"

Lightning followed his arm, and squinted at the indicated area. Surely enough, she saw it. A few meters away from a cascade, was an area with fizzing bubbles on the water's surface.

"Fang?" she called. "What do you make of that?"

The Pulsian Huntress walked over to the two l'Cie, and looked at what they were talking about. The moment she set eyes on it, she went pale.

"Oh... Crap."

"What?" demanded Nero.

Then, the ground began shaking, almost making the group lose their balance.

"You guys might wanna get back a bit!" cautioned Fang.

As they did so, a large creature jumped out of the water. It bellowed a loud wail as it flew in the air. It has a large mouth, and a white chin, and sharp teeth. The top half of its head was made of grey stone, and large blue eyes on the side. It had an unusual tail, which was big and round. The creature also had a large fin on its back that pointed forward. The large being then feel back into the water.

"Damn!" cursed Fang. "I completely forgot! That fal'Cie guards this place!"

"What, that was a fal'Cie?" Hope exclaimed.

"Yep! The waterfront fal'Cie, Bismarck. It guards this whole spring," told Vanille.

"Yeah. I bet it thinks we were trespassin' on the place!" added Fang.

Sazh chuckled nervously. "In that case, shouldn't we be skadaddlin' on outta here?"

He was cut off, when Bismarck let out a large wail. The fal'Cie also emitted a large aura as it did so.

Suddenly, stone spires popped out of the water.

"I'm guessing it's too late to run, isn't it?" sighed Hope.

Snow cracked his knuckles. "Heh. It sure looks confident!"

Sighing in an annoyed tone, Lightning crossed her arms. "Unless you get it out of the water, you're not going to do much to it, you dope."

The fal'Cie then turned towards the group, looking at them with angry eyes.

"Uh, guys? I think it's getting ready to charge," warned Nero.

Then, Bismarck charged ahead. It let out a loud wail, as it flew into the air.

"BRACE YOURSELVES!" cautioned the young boy.

The group readied their weapons, as the fal'Cie came to them.

However, ice began covering the fal'Cie quickly. It managed to open its jaw, before being frozen in mid-air. The frozen form of Bismarck then fell into the lake.

The seven l'Cie looked in awe as the fal'Cie floated away from them.

"What... Just happened?" wondered Sazh, as the chocobo chick chirped confusedly.

Vanille stared at the frozen fal'Cie, before getting the urge to rub her arms. "Guys? W- Why is it cold all of a sudden?"

Everyone then looked at each other, noticing that their breaths were visible.

"Yeah, that's weird," Hope mused.

Then a laughter from behind caught their attention.

**"Foolish fal'Cie. All they know how to do is the one task that the Maker gave them,"** it cooed.

The group then faced the being, as it sat on a rock a few feet away. The being looked feminine, but was covered in fish scales instead of skin. It had webbed hands and feet, with sharp claws on its fingers and toes. A large tail was in its rear area. Its forearms and lower legs were covered in dark blue scales, which served as armor. The creature also had pointy ears, and dreads that were transparent on its head. Its mouth was dark, as if wearing lipstick, and had yellow eyes with black slits. Gills were on its neck.

Nero could instantly identify it for what it was.

"Demon," he whispered.

Sazh moaned exasperatedly. "I _hate_ demons!" he moaned.

The demoness stood up from her seat, looked at them with sly glare.

**"Well, well,"** it mused. **"You actually made it this far. I must say, you humans never cease to surprise me."**

It then began examining her claws. **"But then again, you aren't just _any_ humans. You're l'Cie."**

"Points for trying to act menacing, but I'm going to guess that you're one of those Demon Gods?" Lightning assumed, as she raised her gunblade.

Playing with its hair, the demon sighed. **"Yes, as a matter of fact. But to be more precise, I am the only Demon God."**

"Huh? I don't get it..." Snow voiced.

Suddenly glancing at the group with a hateful stare, the demoness snarled. **"Well you should get it, seeing as how you all killed my brethren!"**

The l'Cie gasped after hearing the statement. Fang quickly understood what that meant.

"So, you're the last one, eh?" she inquired.

The demoness crossed its arms. **"Indeed. I am Aquaria, Ice Goddess of the Demonic Realm."**

**"But my abilities aren't limited to creating ice. I can also manipulate water to my liking. ****Just look at the fal'Cicle behind you.****" **

Vanille looked confused. "Wait, but doesn't that make you the Ice _and_ Water Goddess?"

Aquaria only scoffed. **"Tch, like I'm going to change it, because some walking corpse is suggesting it. "**

Nero tightened his grip on his blade. "I get it. You're lookin' to make a final stand, is that it?"

**"My duty is to test you. The only way to do that, is to fight to the death. It is our responsibility to determine whether or not you're ready for the role you all must fulfill,"** explained the Ice Goddess.

"And that responsibility is a direct order from "His Eminence," Barthandelus isn't it?" Nero commented snidely.

Aquaria smirked confidently. **"Actually... This responsibility was given to us by our former leader... Sparda."**

This caused the half demon to gasp.

The Ice Goddess laughed. **"What's the trouble? You didn't know?"** Noticing their shocked faces, Aquaria laughed even harder. **"My. How pitiful you l'Cie are."**

Sazh shook his head in disbelief. "Wait, you're sayin' that Sparda set all of this up? That he wanted to destroy Cocoon?"

**"I don't know. Nor do I particularly care, for that matter,"** Aquaria admitted. **"However, I have a duty. And that is to try and kill you."**

The Pulsian Huntress scoffed. "Yeah, that's all you demons care about. It's always "kill this and that," with you, ain't it?"

The remark caused the demoness to snarl. **"Quiet, l'Cie! Who are you to judge me? You, who has murdered many a man on your journey here! You're no better than me.**"

"We're fighting to change our fate! We're nothing like you," Lightning argued.

The ice demoness chuckled darkly. **"Really? Are we that different? When you think about it, we're not."**

"Explain," Nero demanded.

Both the demon, and the group began circling around each other, as if eyeing the other to make a move.

**"You see, you humans never consider what demons feel,"** lectured Aquaria. **"Who's to say that demons aren't capable of just evil?"**

"Of course not! I'm living proof of that!" Nero blurted.

**"Hehe, of course. But you never consider them as people. You never consider whether or not they have dreams, feelings, or reasons to fight."**

"Most of the time, it's the same reason. They want to kill humans," answered Snow.

**"There it is. Most of the time. Not _every_ time." **she corrected. **"You fail to consider that some demons are scared. Maybe it's their flight or fight organism. They may be fighting just to live."**

Vanille gasped. "But, if they are, then that means..."

"That's a lie," interjected Nero. "You say demons are fighting to survive. But if that were true, they'd just stay in the demon realm, and live out the rest of their days in peace. But that's the problem. The majority doesn't want it. You demons just want more than what you need."

The Ice Goddess laughed loudly, as the words were spoken to it. **"It's funny to hear you say that, seeing as you're one of us."** She grinned at Nero's angry glare. **"But you're right. That seems to be their one flaw. In fact, it's every living thing's flaw! We just want more and more."**

It then grasped its chest. **"Take me for example. I wanted to live. And it ended up turning me into a demon."**

Hope looked at the demon curiously. "You say that as if you weren't a demon," he observed.

Aquaria smirked. **"That's because I wasn't."**

Nero blinked when he heard this. He looked at the others, and saw confusion and shock etched on their faces.

**"That's right. Before I was a Demon God, I was something else. Something... Human,"** she revealed.

"WHAT!" shouted Nero.

**"Hard to believe, right?"** Aquaria concurred. **"But, yes, I was born a human. A human that eventually became a l'Cie."**

"You were a l'Cie?" asked Vanille.

**"Yes. And this l'Cie was part of special group of seven. In that group was demon named Sparda. He led six strong l'Cie in the war, and this group went on in legend, only to be forgotten when Pulse fell into disarray."**

**"And these six l'Cie could not bear to be taken by hands of time. Especially because two of those l'Cie were lovers. Sympathizing with his comrades, Sparda showed them the way to outlive Gran Pulse. However, this came at the cost of what was left of their humanity."**

**"After he had disposed of his l'Cie brand, Sparda gave them a piece of his own Eidolith, which in turn, freed them of their curse as well. However, this in turn, caused the demonic magic of the crystal to be imbued into their systems."**

**"Sparda had given them a duty afterwards. He ordered them to become the guardian protectors of the realm between both human and demons worlds. To simply exist, to never be worshiped, or recognized. They would only be freed, when the Chosen Ones would fulfill their trials.**

The Ice Goddess frowned heavily. **"Those l'Cie went on to become the Demon Gods of the Demonic Realm."**

Nero, who had an immediate dislike of the demoness, was terrified at what he had heard. Sparda had betrayed them, and they became monsters for it.

"Sp- Sparda... He turned you into this?" he asked, in a quivering voice.

**"Indeed. And ever since, my hatred for him has grown as big as the coldest iceberg,"** she told.** "But... He is dead..."**

It was then, that her glared turned murderous. **"I may not be able to personally punish him... But I can at least dish it out on his grandson."**

Then, in a wisp of snow, Aquaria disappeared, thus making the group go on their guard.

Nero then saw a wisp of snow appear before him, before being sent backwards by an uppercut. The others saw what had occurred, before being sent back by spires of ice.

The spires dissolved, to show Aquaria standing in the middle, with a smug grin. It then lifted her arm, and gestured them to come at her.

Scowling, Lightning used her transformed gun, and fired at the demoness. Aquaria pointed her hand towards her, and in mid-air, slabs of ice appeared. Every bullet fired had collided in the middle of each one.

Aquaria sighed in an annoyed tone, as Sazh and Nero fired at her as well, only to be met with the same result. Then in a sudden movement, the demoness threw her arms to the side. This caused for all the slabs to shoot out at the three l'Cie. Lightning rolled to the side to avoid them, while Sazh and Nero dove to their right.

"Hey, water freak!" shouted a voice. Aquaria turned to see an oncoming Fang, with Snow dashing behind.

The demoness ducked under the swing of Fang's Bladed Lance, but was caught with a kick to the stomach from Snow. Fang then separated her Lance, and then attacked with both halves.

She impaled one of her blades into the demon, and swung her other blade at it. However, the Ice Goddess caught the other blade, and retaliated with a kick to the Huntress' stomach.

The Hero then rushed forward, and managed to punch it with a right and left hook. The demoness stood still as it felt the impact of both punches. Aquaria slowly turned its head to face him, before lashing out at him.

The demon sent two straight punches at him, while he crossed his arms to defend. Aquaria then side kicked his legs to make him lose his balance. It was about to slam its fist on him, but then strafed backwards, as Nero swiped his sword at the demon.

When Aquaria stopped, a burning pain enveloped its back that pushed it onto the ground. It looked over its shoulder, to see that the two teens had fired two Firaga's at it.

Aquaria then stood up and waved its finger disapprovingly. **"Nu-uh-uh."**

The goddess kept its finger pointed up. Unbeknownst to both teens, a very large Water spell floated from the lake. With the flick of its wrist, the spell shot towards the two l'Cie.

Vanille, having had to rely on her senses a majority of her life, caught a small noise. She looked behind her, and saw the oncoming spell.

"HOPE, LOOK OUT!" she cried, as she pushed him away from the oncoming attack.

The boy fell on all fours. He quickly got up, but his eyes widened when he heard a muffled sound.

Hope turned around, and was met with the horrifying sight of a water bubble, with Vanille inside. What worried him more, was that it was filled with water.

"NO!" he cried in fear. Then, wisps of snow appeared next to him, and he was kicked away by Aquaria.

Light helped the boy up, as the others surrounded the demon.

"What have you done?" demanded a furious Fang.

Aquaria tapped the bubble. **"It's a special spell of mine. As you can see, it traps the person it's used on in an inescapable bubble filled with water. And not once has it failed me!"**

The Ice Goddess then had a look of mock concern, as it watched Vanille slam her fists against the bubble. **"Y'know, I don't think she can hold her breath forever."**

Snow cracked his fists, and eyes narrowing angrily at Aquaria. "You're messin' with the wrooong people."

Lightning side glanced at Fang, and whispered. "We'll deal with the demon. You, Nero, and Hope go save Vanille." Fang responded with a nod.

Aquaria scoffed arrogantly. **"Don't think it'll be easy!"**

Then, four beasts jumped out of the water. They had dark blue skin, red eyes, sharp teeth, and green frills snarled at them. A larger one had webbed hands and feet that were light green, a torso that was purple. It also had a triangular head.

The Ceratoraptors and the Orobon walked up to the demoness. **"Shall we?"**

"Let's," Nero declared, as the group separated into two.

Nero fired Charged shots at one of the Ceratoraptors, and it exploded instantly. Fang lunged for another, but it jumped away from her. Hope, however, fired a Blizzara at it, and froze it instantly. He then threw his Airwing boomerang at it, and it shattered to bits.

The other Ceratoraptor jumped towards Nero, but he caught it in mid-air. He then slammed it onto the ground, but it still bit at him. Nero then extended his leg, and kicked it back into the lake.

Hope sent a Thundara spell at the Orobon, which caused it to cease its charge. Fang then separated her lance into two, and rolled over its back. She then impaled both blades into the creature's stomach. She then pulled out her weapons, as the Orobon collapsed.

Seeing that their enemies were dealt with, the three l'Cie ran to floating bubble.

* * *

><p>Sazh fired multiple Magic Shots, as Aquaria ran towards him. He had discovered that Magic Shots served to cut through the demon's protective ice slabs.<p>

As the spell hit the ice demoness' shoulder, forcing it to roll to the side. Aquaria then swept Sazh's feet off of the ground, causing him to fall on the floor.

Quickly getting up, Aquaria was about to slam him with its fist, until Snow hit the demon with his shoulder. He then rushed the Goddess with punches left and right. Aquaria crossed its arms, as the leader of NORA continued to send his barrage of punches at it.

**"You can't win!"** it snarled.

However, as he continued to fight, Snow's l'Cie Mark began to glow. He then retracted his left arm, and sent a hard punch.

"Oh really? Last I checked..."

Aquaria was sent flying back, shocked at the power of his strike. The demon was forced onto the ground. Light rushed to the demon, and began an over headed strike. Aquaria anticipated it, and quickly kicked Lightning with the bottom of its foot.

A voice caught the Goddess' attention. "THE HERO ALWAYS WINS!"

Aquaria looked up, to see Snow jumping up into the air. He fell to the ground, and punched Aquaria, taking the air out of its lungs. It had been crushed by his Sovereign Fist.

But then, as it gasped, black ink spat out of the demon's mouth, and into Snow's eyes.

He quickly stumbled backwards, but savagely rubbed his eyes. Snow was Blinded by the demon's ink.

Then, something hit him in the face. Then again. And again. Realizing he was being attacked, Snow raised his arms to protect himself, while activating another spell.

Aquaria swung ferociously against Snow's Steelguard. It yelled angrily, as the taste of blood was in its tongue.

Then, something cut its cheek, and forced Aquaria to fall back. The demoness looked up to see Lightning, who had raised her blade at it. Aquaria then looked at her Blazefire Saber, and saw blood on the front.

Eyes widening in rage, the demoness raged towards the soldier.

* * *

><p>Nero, Fang, and, Hope ran up to the Prison Bubble that Vanille was in.<p>

Nero slammed his fist at it, and surprisingly, it penetrated. However, his victory was short-lived, as he felt his Bringer being pulled in. Gritting his teeth, Nero pulled away from the buble, trying to yank his arm free. When he did, he fell on his rear.

"Damn it! It sucks you in!" he told. "Trying to reach for her is only gonna put us in the bubble with her."

"Then try my Lance!" Fang suggested, as she rushed forward. "Vanille, move away!"

Nodding, Vanille moved to the side of the bubble, as Fang impaled the bubble.

"Alright, grab onto it!" she ordered.

The Pulsian girl grabbed onto the lance, as Hope and Nero helped Fang pull her out. Together, they managed to make sure that the Bladed Lance was not pulled into the prison.

However, their progress ended, when the poor girl got to the bubble's layer. They tried pulling her out, but she continued to hit the wall. With the resistance increased, the impaled half of Fang's lance was pulled into the Prison.

"DAMN!" cursed Fang. "It's not working! If we don't do something, she'll drown!"

Nero began to panic, as he watched bubbles escape the girl's mouth. She was on her last breath.

"There's gotta be something we can do... But wha- AGH!"

The half demon then felt pain in his Devil Bringer, which forced him to his knees. He clenched his teeth, as the reality of the situation became apparent to him.

Then, Hope cried in pain as well. The boy gripped his left wrist, were his Brand was burning.

It was then, that Nero realized what was about to happen. And through this, he got an idea.

"V- Vanille! Move out of the way!" he called, as the girl slowly did so.

Getting up to his feet, Nero sprinted towards the bubble.

"Nero!" called to boy. "W- Wha-"

"Trust me!" he urged, as he tackled the bubble. It sucked him in, and trapped him with Vanille.

Then, a green light blinded Hope, and a crystal came out of his l'Cie mark. Upon examination, It was shaped rather odd, but it had the appearance of a star. It then shot into the bubble, where it met Nero's Bringer.

After Junctioning with the crystal, Nero was enveloped with a golden aura. Crossing his arms, he then threw them to side, to let out burst of energy. This blast illuminated the Prison, causing it to expand. Then in a flash of light, the bubble was gone.

Fang and Hope covered their eyes briefly, before hearing the sound of a female coughing. Both l'Cie looked up, to see that Vanille was on the ground, catching her breath. Regardless, she was very much alive.

Hope then looked at what stood next to her. It had the physical make up of an insect, but possessed human qualities. Many of its body joints were shown, but the Devil Bringer remained the same. Its legs were black, its left arm was dark blue, and its torso was covered in red armored skin. A red hood covered its head, and its mouth was covered by a black cover. What caught his attention, were the two golden sickles that were on its back, its blades facing forward.

The being patted Vanille in the back. **"You okay?"**

Still breathing heavily, Vanille looked up at the being's orange irises. "N- Nero?"

Nodding, Nero's eyes told the girl that despite his new form, Lumantis Nero, he was still the same.

"Vanille!" called a worried Fang, as she ran up and hugged her friend.

Hope walked up to Nero, messaging his wrist. "Nice look."

Lumantis Nero patted his head, with a serious look in his eyes. **"Take care of them. I need to go return the favor."**

* * *

><p>Lightning ducked, and sidestepped her opponent, as Aquaria tried to roundhouse kick her in the head.<p>

Seeing the opportunity, Lightning attacked the demon, by swiping at her face. However, Aquaria blocked every strike with her armored forearms. Lightning continued her assault, pushing the demoness backwards.

The Ice Goddess then felt bullets hitting its back. Kicking the soldier back, it turned to face Sazh, who aimed his Vega 42s at the demon.

The afro pilot continued to fire his guns, even as Aquaria menacingly approached him. "Dammit! Why can't you demons ever call it a day?"

Then, in a wisp of snow, the demon disappeared before him, only to reappear in front of him. Sazh had no time to react when the ice demon landed a hard straight punch to his gut.

Sazh fell on his knees, gasping for air, as Aquaria towered over. It then raised its fist, ready to punch through the man's head.

Suddenly, a golden sickle impaled itself into its chest. The Demon Goddess screeched in pain, as the impact of the hit caused it to step back. It yelled again, when the sickle flew out of its spot, and into the hands of another.

**"It's official. You're the Demon God that went too far,"** said a voice.

Aquaria looked up, and saw the form of Lumantis Nero walking forward.

**"Lumantis,"** she hissed.

**"This guy's a close second,"** he told. **"But unlike him, you were actually close to killing one of my friends when you had the chance."**

The Ice Demon smirked. **"Glad to be on the top of your list."**

His face darkened. **"Actually, you should be worried."** He then gripped both Lumantis sickles. **"Because now, I'm putting you on ice."**

Then, Aquaria felt a pain in its back. It looked over its shoulder, to see that Light had impaled her Saber into the demon's stomach.

The demoness then looked back at Nero, only to see him charging towards it. Aquaria, managed to catch both of his sickles, as he brought them down. It then headbutted Nero, and elbowed Lightning with its free arm.

After pulling out the gunblade and throwing it, the Ice Demoness attacked by firing icicles at Nero. However, Nero twirled his sickles in front of them, slicing every icicle aimed at him.

Lightning rolled to the side, and grabbed her gunblade. Rolling onto one knee, she then fired three Ruin spells at the Goddess. The impact of the spells caused Aquaria to stagger, leaving the demon open for an attack.

Lumantis Nero quickly went to work, as he used his Lumantis sickles to impale the demon's chest. Left and right, blood came out from punctures that doubled by the second. Nero finished the attack off, by slashing Aquaria's torso with both sickles.

Gasping in pain, the demoness fell on its knees. Finally deciding to end it, Nero jumped into the air, and took out his sickles. He connected them together to make a double-bladed sickle, and begin twirling it in front of him. He spun it slowly at first, but it began to move faster and faster. During his attack, a large rune appeared in front of him, and began charging energy.

When he had enough energy, he absorbed the energy of the rune into his Devil Bringer, and pointed it at Aquaria.

With a final cry, he shouted,** "BLINDING LIGHT!"** From his palm, a large beam of light was fired at the Ice Goddess.

Too great was its injuries, that the demon had no time to react, as the laser hit it dead on. It screamed loudly, as the light burned its skin.

Nero watched his attack, until he could no longer hear the devil's cry. Slowly closing his fist, the beam subsided, and he finally fell to the ground.

When he landed, Nero instantly reverted to his human form, and fell on his knees. He panted heavily, exhausted by the amount of energy the attack needed.

"You alright?" asked a voice.

Nero looked up, to see Lightning, who had her gunblade in hand, walking up to him.

"Tired," he responded.

Sighing, the soldier examined the destruction of their battle. Light then looked back at Nero. "And Vanille?"

"Fine," he replied. "But like all of us, I'm pretty sure she's tired."

"Right," she agreed. "Let's regroup with the others, and call it a da-"

A white wisp appeared next to her, and a strong kick sent her to the floor.

Nero gasped as he saw what had happened, but then another wisp appeared on top of him, and something stepped on his back.

He shouted in pain, as something whispered in his ear. **"I'm still heeere."**

Nero then lost all feeling in his legs. After that, he lost all feeling in his back, and right arm. He looked at his Devil Bringer, and saw that it was frozen.

Then, from the corner of his eye, he saw a foot in front of his face. The half demon looked up, and saw a heavily damaged, burned, but very alive Aquaria standing before him.

"No!" he cried.

**"Yeeess,"** it hissed.

It then raised its hand at him. **"You know, it's been a long time since anyone's ever taken me to my limits. So, as a reward, I'm going to do to you what your grandfather did to me. I'm going to free you of your curse... By freezing you alive."**

The Demoness grinned, as she saw the startled look in his eyes.** "Now you don't have to worry about turning into crystal, or becoming a Cie'th. Now, you can die here, frozen in the form of a human. Farewell, Chosen of Heaven."**

Nero's eyes widened as Aquaria began to unleash her spell. But then, something unexpected happened. So caught up in its anger, Aquaria did not see Lightning, when she tackled it.

The force of her tackle caused both the l'Cie and the demon to fall into the lake.

Nero gasped in shock at the scene. A few seconds later, Lightning surfaced from the water, gasping for air.

"Light, get out of the water!" he shouted.

Lightning turned to face him, only to have a claw grab her neck, and drag her under.

"LIGHTNING!"

* * *

><p>Snow helped Sazh up, finally being able to see again. Vanille used the spell Cura, to heal the afro man's injuries.<p>

"Ugh... Everyone alright?" asked Snow.

"Yeah. We need to find Nero and Light," advised Hope.

It was then, however, when they heard Nero calling out Lightning's name. Looking at the direction of where his voice came from, Snow sprinted away, while Hope followed. The others then ran after the two l'Cie.

When they found Nero, half of his body was frozen to the ground.

"Nero, what happened?" Fang demanded.

Nero looked over his shoulder. "It's that demon! It took Light, and dragged her under the water!"

Hearing this, Snow's eyes widened in horror. "Oh no. SIS!"

* * *

><p>Aquaria had a face of utter malice, as it continued to swim deeper into the lake. Its hand had a tight grip on the l'Cie, as it tried wriggling free.<p>

Finally seeing the lake's bottom, Aquaria pulled Lightning in front of her, and slammed her into the ground. Bubbles escaped the soldier's mouth due to the impact.

**"I don't know if you can hear me, l'Cie, but I know you had something to do with it!"** it hissed.

Lightning could not respond, too focused on holding her breath, and escaping. The demon's kick had forced Lightning to drop her gunblade before she tackled her.

**"You have his scent, you know!"** it continued. **"The smell of my lover, Raiden. You had something to do with his death, right?**"

Aquaria then punched her in the stomach. Lightning let out a muffled groan, letting out more air from her lungs.

At this point, breathing was becoming more difficult for Light. If she could not escape, then this lake would become her grave.

It was in her desperation, that she remembered that she had one more weapon.

Aquaria then got in her face. **"Well, guess what? I'm going to watch you suffer, as you slowly lose your oxygen! And know that the others will follow! DO YOU HEAR ME?"**

Light then took out her sister's Combat Knife, and impaled it onto the demon's neck. Aquaria's eyes widened in shock, as the pain slowly registered in its head. Lightning then pulled it out, and even more blood appeared.

As Lightning watched, Aquaria began to make gagging sounds. Letting out one final gasp, Aquaria's last word was, **"Raiden..."**

Lightning managed to push the body of the demon away, as it dissolved into blue bubbles. Lightning floated, ready to swim up.

But something was wrong. She wanted to desperately swim up, but for some reason, her arms and legs were not moving. As the severity of her situation increased, the elder Farron understood what was going on. Because she had lost a lot of oxygen, her body did not have enough oxygen to perform basic movement.

It was here, that Lightning did something that she had not done in a long time. Something she had not done since her parents died.

She began to panic.

* * *

><p>Nero looked at the lake in worry of his friend. He knew that the others were wondering about the same thing. About whether or not the soldier was okay.<p>

His thoughts where then disrupted, however, when he felt his legs again. Nero then looked at his Devil Bringer, and saw that the ice around it quickly melted.

Hope was the first to see this as well. "Nero, the ice!"

"Yeah," he agreed, as he got on his knees. "Guys... I don't feel the demon anymore."

Snow had a pensive look on his face, but then grinned. "That means Light did it. She defeated it!"

Nero, however, was far from happy. He sat there for a few seconds, before he began to worry.

"Guys. She's not coming up."

The other l'Cie heard his comment, and looked back at the lake. They quickly realized that he was right.

Not wasting any time, Nero took off his blue coat, and dove headfirst into the water.

Nero swam deeper, but could not see anything.

'Light, where are you?'

* * *

><p>Her lungs were burning, and her stomach was tightening. Lightning tried very hard to held her breath, but deep down, she knew it was a futile effort.<p>

Before realizing it, she had allowed the air to escape her mouth, and was slowly losing consciousness.

Unsure why, she decided to look up. Above her, she could see the light of the sun.

'That light... The sun was never there,' she realized.

'No... Is it... The light of the dead?' she wondered.

Lightning then allowed the last of her air to expire with one final gasp. Her eyes widened, before slowly closing.

'So I'm.. Going to die? It's quiet... Calm... Serah...'

* * *

><p>As Nero continued looking, he felt something. Looking at his Bringer, he looked curiously.<p>

'That feeling...'

His eyes then spotted something. Squinting his eyes, he noticed a small pink light.

'Pink?...' He then remembered to whom that light belonged to. 'LIGHTNING!'

Swimming as fast as he could, he dove closer to the light. And to his relief, he found her. However, the relief went away when he saw her condition.

Her l'Cie brand was glowing, so it allowed him to see that her eyes were closed, and she looked unresponsive.

'Oh no! I need to get her out, now!'

Placing his left arm around her waist, Nero began to swim up quickly. However, he was moving slowly, seeing as how he was carrying Lightning.

'Damn it! At this rate, I'll end up like her too!'

Then he felt something pushing himself up. Before he realized it, the water pushed down on him, causing him to panic. However, it disappeared, when he realized he could breath.

Gasping loudly, Nero looked under himself. To his shock, he was laying down on the back of the fal'Cie Bismarck.

"It... Saved me?"

Bismarck approached the others, stopping closely to the shore. As Nero got off, he watched as it dove underneath the waters of the lake.

Getting out of the water, the devil hunter carried the girl bridal style, before put her down on the floor. The l'Cie looked in anticipation, as Nero put his ear next to her heart.

"Her heart's not beating!" he said. "We need to get it pumping again!"

He then told Snow to get down. "Alright, you're gonna apply pressure, while I give her oxygen." Looking down at the pale woman, he sighed nervously. "Please don't kill me when this over..."

Taking a deep breath, he connected with her mouth, and breath into it. As quickly as he entered, Nero looked up at Snow. The Hero then began pushing her chest. He pushed for a few seconds, before looking at Nero.

"Again," he ordered, as he breathed into Lightning's mouth. Snow then continued pushing against her chest.

"Again," he repeated. Both l'Cie repeated the process two more times.

As they worked, Sazh's expression slowly became solemn. Vanille slowly began to cry, hugging Fang, as the Huntress had a face of grief as well.

Hope had a look of disbelief. "No... Light, you- You can't be..."

After the second time, Nero put his ear to her chest. His face was an expression of fright, one that Snow noticed.

Snow slowly began to realize what had occurred. He reached for his bandanna, ant took it off. "No... Sis... I'm sorry..." He then began to cry openly. "I'm so sorry, Light... Serah, I'm sorry..."

Nero looked at the body of Lightning Farron. He then noticed everyone's reaction to her demise.

What had he thought of Lightning Farron? At first, he could care less about her. But as they journeyed together, she had changed significantly. She had earned his respect, his loyalty, and most importantly, his friendship. And not just his, but of all of them.

Not only that, but unlike him, she had a future ahead of her. She had a second chance.

And that, was why he wouldn't give up.

With a look of determination, he took a deep breath, and breathed into her mouth.

"C'mon, Light. Wake up," he said, as he began to apply pressure to her chest.

Everyone looked, as he continued to push her chest.

"Nero..." Sazh whispered.

"Wake up, Light. C'mon!"

"Nero... She's gone," Snow cried.

"I can save her."

"DAMN IT, NERO! SHE'S GONE!"

Nero glared at him. "I CAN SAVE HER!"

Both looked at each other for a brief moment, before Nero went back to work.

"C'mon, Light. Wake up!" Nero ordered. "You're not allowed to die. You hear? You and all of these guys aren't allowed to die!"

The group watched in awe, as he continued to start her heart.

"You have to see Serah again. You need to apologize! And you need to let Snow marry her!"

"You have to live, Light. You can't die. So wake up."

He pushed against her chest. "Wake up."

He pushed again. "Wake up!"

He pushed harder. "WAKE UP!"

* * *

><p><em>A blue butterfly fluttered over a field of white roses. It flew towards a pond. <em>

_Inside this pond was a pink-haired soldier. Her eyes were open, staring blankly up at the sky, as her hair flailed left and right in the water. _

_The butterfly flew over the pond, passing over the soldier._

_On the ponds edge, was a single pink rose. It was the only one in the field._

_The butterfly fluttered towards, flying around it, before landing on the rose. _

_When it made contact, a bright light appeared._

_Instantly, the soldier shot up from the water, gasping._

* * *

><p>"WAKE UP!"<p>

Lightning shot up from the floor and gasped heavily. She then began to cough loudly, water escaping her mouth.

She looked up, but was then caught in the embrace of someone. She looked up, to see Snow.

"S- Snow? What-"

"Hey, man! Let her breath!" shouted Sazh.

Snow stopped hugging his future sister-in-law, but he couldn't contain his tears as he watched Lightning regain her breath.

Nero watched in surprise. He had done it. He had finally done it, and it took its time to register.

He had saved her.

Finally breathing, Lightning glanced at him, and noticed his wet clothes.

"Th- The demon?" she gasped.

"Gone," Fang confirmed. "You gave us quite a scare."

Hope smiled in relief, as Vanille wiped her tears happily.

Lightning then looked at Nero again, as he stood up from his spot.

Smiling, Nero laughed. "I think it's time we called it a day."

He then extended his hand to her. Light looked at it for a few seconds, before finally taking it.

Ch. 30: This is Why I Fight

After a close encounter with death, the l'Cie decide to end their day. Conflicts are resolved, and more are created. After meeting with an unexpected visitor, Nero finally decides to tell his story. To explain why he fights. The young knight finally shares his pain.

**AN: Sorry this one took longer. But like I said, it's getting to the juicy parts.**

**READ AND REVIEW!**


	31. This Is Why I Fight

**Capcom and Square-Enix own DMC and FFXIII respectively. AN: GUESS WHO GOT A NEW LAPTOP?! That's right, people! I gots a new laptop, and it works fine! Also, I learned that I won't start classes until September, so I have ANOTHER MONTH to finish this fic!**

**This chapter is 15,000 WORDS LONG! NEWEST LONGEST CHAPTER I'VE EVER WRITTEN. So hopefully, you guys will have a good read.**

**And now, we start our j****ourney to the end.**

**NOTE: Some of the views expressed in this chapter do not reflect on my views whatsoever. That's just me trying to interpret Nero's possible view of the world.**

Eden Medical Hospital- This Is Why I Fight

-Eden Medical Hospital-

Yaag Rosch pushed past the doors, obviously in a hurry.

When he had heard the news, it took the lieutenant colonel a few seconds for him to register it. What he had heard was impossible, and based on what he had seen, he had also believed it impossible.

And yet, they were telling him that Leunam had made a full recovery.

Rosch had found Gaylor's room, and pushed past the door. The man was utterly dumbfounded by what he saw.

Sitting on the edge of his bed, Gaylor was putting on his right glove, thus fully clothing himself in his PSICOM attire. But what had truly surprised Rosch, was that his hand was made of flesh.

Hearing the door open, the lieutenant colonel looked at his fellow comrade with _both_ of his eyes. "Ah, there you are Rosch."

Yaag could not speak, stuttering out loud. Gaylor's eyebrow arched confusedly at his action.

"What's wrong, friend?" asked the recovering lieutenant colonel.

Clutching the bridge of his nose, Rosch regained his senses. "Gaylor, ah... You... You recovered."

Gaylor chuckled victoriously. "Indeed I have."

Yaag then gestured at his arm. "Your arm... And your eye..."

"They have returned, and are in perfect condition," Leunam smirked.

Finally, Rosch blurted out the question he wanted to ask. "How?"

Smiling, Gaylor stood up from the bed, and patted Rosch's shoulder. "All in good time, my friend. What matters now is that I am fine."

His smile then grew wider. "But more importantly, I'm ready to settle the score with a few l'Cie."

* * *

><p>-Sulyya Springs-<p>

"Hmmm... Your heart's beating normally..."

Irritation was slowly becoming apparent in Lightning's face, as Vanille leaned her head closely to the soldier's chest.

She then lifted her eyelids, annoying the elder Farron further. "Your pupils are okay..."

Lightning grabbed Vanille's hand, her eyes showing that she was irked. "Look, as much as I appreciate your concern, you don't have to give me a physical!"

"But Light, what if some water got into your lungs, and you're disoriented from it?" she questioned.

"I told you guys. I'm fine," she assured.

"I dunno, Light," spoke Snow. "That _was_ a pretty close call. Even for you."

Sighing exasperatedly, Light stroke the bridge of her nose. "Look, I know what happened was pretty severe. But seriously, I don't feel that there's anything wrong with me."

"OH FOR THE LOVE OF-" blurted Fang, as she turned around. She reached for her Mark, as it began to glow. Fang then turned to Lightning, and fired a green spell at her.

"There! I used Esuna on ya, so now you're perfectly fine," she told.

Nero's eyes narrowed curiously at her. "Wait, how exactly does that help her?"

"Esuna's a spell that cures all ailments," explained Fang. "If you're Poisoned, Blinded, or anything else, it cures ya instantly."

"So if you ever get sick, use Esuna, and you'll be alright!" Vanille chirped.

The afro man rubbed his beard. "So... That spell can pretty much cure cancer?"

The Huntress furrowed her eyebrows in confusion. "The hell is cancer?"

Snow patted her shoulder. "It's better if you don't know."

The seven l'Cie walked in a small path. On both sides was the glowing moss from the entrance, but the ceiling was broken and showed the blue sky. They then walked into the side of a large gorge. There was grass covering the ground, while a large crevasse was before them.

"All right, this looks like a good spot," mused Fang, as she further examined her surroundings. "Okay, listen up! Since we're all tired from today, we're gonna set up camp here, and continue tomorrow!"

Sighing in relief, Sazh fell to the ground on his back, followed by Nero. "Damn, the ground never felt so good."

Hope laughed at Sazh's remark. "Yeah. After today, I think we deserve it."

Snow walked next to the boy. "Yeah, everyone looks like they're ready to drop!"

Hope then grinned mischievously. "Well, unlike some people, we know our limits."

A loud "Oooooohh," came from Nero, as Snow scoffed at the remark. "Oh-ho-ho! We've got ourselves a tough guy!"

Nero instantly frowned, when something came into his senses. Looking up, he saw a long creature flying towards them.

"Everyone, look out!" he warned, as the creature flew over the group.

As it flew by, Hope could make out a skull face with horns, and the long tail following behind.

"W- What the hell was the thing?" Nero stuttered.

"That was another Gran Pulse fal'Cie, mate," said Fang's voice from behind. "We used to see it flying around Pulse all the time."

"Whaaaat?" moaned Sazh. "Don't tell me we're gonna have to fight it?"

"It may come to that. Although, I don't think it noticed us," she commented.

Vanille jumped up from the ground. "Hey, Fang! Remember where it comes from? It lives somewhere near Oerba!"

"So then, if that thing is flying towards Oerba, then we really are on the right track, right?" Hope added.

Lightning crossed her arms. "If that's the case, then we should consider scouting ahead to see if there's any danger."

The half demon raised his Bringer hand. "I'll do it. I still have enough energy to make the trip."

"Okay, now everyone stop for a sec!" Fang interjected. "Before we start worrying about tomorrow, how 'bout we start makin' camp?"

Fang then extended her arm to her fellow Pulsian. "Van, I'm gonna need to borrow your Binding Rod. I'm gonna get us our dinner."

The girl reached for her Rod, and handed it to the Huntress. "Okay... Just be careful down there."

"Wait up!" blurted Sazh. "You're goin' back to the lake? You sure that fal'Cie ain't gonna try to eat you up?"

She waved at him dismissively. "Nah. After all, we were the ones that freed it from the ice."

"Still, that doesn't mean a fal'Cie will let you do as you please," Lightning reasoned.

"Forget it, Light," advised Nero. "If there's one thing I've learned about our group, is that most of us are too stubborn for our own good."

"Hehe, see? Even Pretty Boy gets the idea," she laughed, as she walked back down the path.

Snow scratched his head."So... What do _we_ do?"

Sazh shrugged. "Not sure... I guess we should get the fire ready."

Hearing that, Vanille quickly raised her hand. "Oh, oh! I wanna go get the firewood! Let me do it, Sazh!"

"Wait. Didn't Fang just borrow your weapon?" inquired Hope.

"Oh, I won't need it. It's just the firewood. I won't even have to go far," she explained.

"Still, it's better to be safe than sorry," interjected Lightning. "I'll go with you-"

"No, _you_ are staying _here,"_ Nero interrupted. "Me and the kid will go with her. You need to rest."

His statement was instantly met with the soldier woman's disagreement. "Excuse me? If this is about earlier, then stop worrying about me! I'm fine!"

"And, if I recall, you even said that it was better to be safe than sorry!" he countered.

"Still, Fang even used that one Esuna spell on me! I can-"

"What?" shouted Nero, as he grabbed both Hope and Vanille while walking away. "You wanna guard the camp with Snow and Sazh? Okay!"

This angered Lightning, as he walked away and continued to ignore her. Sighing exasperatedly, she gave up, and sat against a rock.

* * *

><p>"Why'd you ignore her like that?" asked Hope.<p>

"Because I'm too tired to even argue with her. And from what I know, she wouldn't stop until she had her way," he explained.

As the trio walked to find wood, Vanille was still curious. "What makes you think that she wouldn't stop arguing?"

Nero then shuddered, confusing the teens even further. "Let's just say, that I got into an argument with a certain Lady, and she never let me hear the end of it."

The three l'Cie came upon a tall tree, with large branches.

'These look alright,' Nero thought. "Alright, kiddies, here's how we're gonna do this. I'm gonna go tear off some of these branches, while you two take a break. And when I'm done, you two are gonna help me carry them back."

"Wait. But isn't that kind of mean?" Vanille protested. "It'll look like we're making you do all the work."

Nero just smiled. "Don't worry. See, that's another reason I didn't want Light coming along. She'd probably make you guys work a bit, when you guy's are already tired. Granted, I'm gonna make you work... Just not as much."

Hope blinked. "Wow. That's awfully nice of you to do most of the work."

The devil hunter shrugged. "Don't worry. Back home, Dante always made me do all of the work."

Hearing the man's name made the young girl frown. "Oh... Is that so?"

The young man gave out a small chuckle. "Yeah. He'd always chew me out for "not putting in enough work for the business," and I'd always call him out on his laziness..."

Silence followed, as Nero had a nostalgic look on his face, while Vanille had a sad one. Hope felt awkward, not knowing what to say. The young boy had not been too acquainted with the Son of Sparda.

"I... I miss him," Vanille confessed, breaking the silence.

Sighing, Nero nodded his head. "Yeah... Me too."

* * *

><p>-Cocoon-<p>

Dante glanced at both of his opponents. Neither of them showed off any emotion. He returned the same gesture.

This was it. Whatever occurred next, would decide the outcome of the battle.

Then, one of his adversaries made a move.

"HAH! Nineteen!" shouted the man with flaming hair.

Dante glanced at the young man. At first, he thought that he was some kind of basketball player. Because he obviously was no card player.

He then decided to show his hand. "I got a twenty."

Seeing the man's face fall made the half-demon smirk.

A small whistle then gained the attention of both males. Dante looked at the young woman,whose dark brown hair could not hide her sly smile.

She then revealed her hand. "Twenty-one. Read it and weep."

This caused for Dante's smirk to turn into a frown.

'Different time, different planet, and my luck with cards still sucks.'

* * *

><p>-Pulse-<p>

Hope sat down near the cliff, watching the landscape before him. He could hear the sounds of Nero breaking branches. There were also a few times where he cursed, because he was about to fall off.

"Whatcha doin'?" said a voice from behind.

Hope looked over his shoulder, and slightly jumped backwards, as Vanille kneeling down next to him.

"Whoa! How long have you been there?" he wondered.

"Just now," she responded.

"Oh..." he mumbled, as a pensive look overcame his face.

"Something on your mind?" she wondered.

"No, not really... Just thinking to myself," he replied.

"About what? Something complicated, I bet," she inquired.

Chuckling, he shook his head. "No. It's just that... Well, I was taking all of this in."

He then gestured to the landscape before them. "The sky, the trees, the sunlight, the smells in the air... Back in Cocoon, never in my wildest dreams did I ever think a place like this could exist. But now? Here I am, on Pulse."

"If me and my mother hadn't gone to see the Bodhum Fireworks, if I hadn't been on the same train car in that day... I never would've had the chance to see something like this."

Looking up at the sky, Vanille shook her head. "Hmmm... Nope. I think, maybe, you would have ended up here on Pulse anyway."

The girl sat down next to him. "After all, you promised me didn't you? You promised we'd see Gran Pulse together."

Hope furrowed his eyes in confusion. "Uh... I- I really did that? When did that happen?"

She giggled, shrugging in response, and wrapping her pinky finger around his. "I don't know! Another lifetime, maybe?"

The boy blinked, while Vanille stood up. "Wait, what does that even mean?"

The girl walked away from him. "I'm not sure, myself. I've said so many lies by now, it's all just a blur."

Hope looked up at her. "Well... Maybe, there are some times when we have to lie about stuff."

Vanille then turned to face him. "What do you mean?" she asked curiously.

"Well, I think we sometimes lie to ourselves, to keep ourselves going forward," he explained.

"Sometimes we do it because we're afraid... Or maybe we just want to protect someone, so they won't get hurt."

"Sometimes, even the things everybody in the whole world believed to true turn out to be lies. I mean, take Cocoon, for instance. Nobody but us l'Cie know about the fal'Cie's plan."

"But, when it all comes down to it, the lie isn't important. It's what you do after you tell it that matters. And maybe... If you try hard enough, that lie can eventually become the truth."

The boy then stood up from the ground, and walked closely to the edge. "So who knows? Maybe we both forgot that promise. Maybe we did promise see Gran Pulse together. And maybe Cocoon, too."

Pondering Hope's words, Vanille looked down at the ground. Thinking about it, she realized it made sense.

"Yeah, you're right," she giggled, turning her attention to him. "Thanks, Hope."

She was about to walk away, when Hope called her. "Hey, Vanille?"

"Yeah?" she asked, as she turned to face him.

Hope then turned towards the girl, a genuine smile on his face. "Do me a favor, yeah? Whatever happens, keep smiling..."

"It... It makes me happy when you smile."

Vanille blinked. She blinked again.

Had she heard that right? Her smile... Made him happy?

Realizing what he had just said, Vanille's eyes went wide, as she brought her hands to her cheeks, and gasped in disbelief.

"W- WHAT?" she shouted. "Y- You- You... I- I- I didn't... I didn't know you felt that way!"

"Who felt what way?" asked a voice.

Both l'Cie turned to face Nero, who had large branches underneath both armpits.

Nero glanced at Vanille's face, noticing that she was blushing heavily. He then looked at Hope, and back at the girl.

He slowly smiled knowingly, finally understanding what had happened.

"Ooooohh. Don't tell me the kid finally confessed his feelings for ya?" he joked.

Vanille looked away. "I- I- I don't..."

Nero let out a loud laugh, making the girl blush even more. "HAHA! L- Look at you! You look like the kid said he loved you! HAHAHA!"

Nero then noticed her expression, and then frowned. "Wait... He didn't say that, did he?"

Then, both l'Cie heard the sound of Hope's laughter.

Nero glanced at him. "The hell are you laughin' at kid?"

Hope stopped clutching his stomach, as his laughter died down. Vanille watched him, but then had a look of realization.

"Waaaaiit... Are you... Were you joking this whole time?" she questioned in a disbelieving tone.

Hope then ran off. "Gotcha!"

Fuming, the girl ran after him. "HEY, YOU! WAIT!"

Nero shook his head, as the girl chased the boy down. Deep down, it was obvious. Except now, the waves were in motion.

"Yep. They're meant for each other."

* * *

><p>-Base Camp-<p>

Lightning looked up at the sky, wondering about the sister she had left behind.

"Serah... What dreams are you having up there now?" she wondered quietly.

"WE'RE BAAACK!" sang the voice of Vanille. Lightning, Snow, and Sazh watched, as the three l'Cie returned with wood for the fire.

"Whoa. That's more than enough wood to start a campfire," observed Sazh.

Snow cheered loudly. "Alright! Looks like we're having a bonfire tonight!"

"Yeah, in your dreams," blurted Light.

"She's got a point, party boy. As promising as that sounds, we need to be at tip shape for tomorrow," advised Nero.

He then looked at the soldier, noticing that she had remained in the same spot since he had left. "See, Light? It wasn't so hard to sit still, now was it?"

Lightning instantly sent an angry glare at him. "Shut up."

He then looked around, and noticed that the Huntress had not returned. "Fang's not back?"

"Nope," answered the pilot. "I mean, she does have to get enough fish to feed _seven_ people."

"That's true," agreed the half devil. It was then, that he remembered what he had said he would do.

"Hope, can I borrow your little telescope? I'm gonna go scout ahead for a bit."

Nodding, the boy reached into his side pocket, and handed him the telescope.

"Don't go too far now," cautioned Snow. "You never know what's nearby."

"Don't worry. I'm just gonna find a place high enough to scope the landscape," Nero assured.

The demon hunter then walked off, and followed the path ahead. As he went along the path, he found a wall that was climbable, and scaled it. It took him some effort, but he had managed to do so.

He then walked along a grassy path, and found a large rock. Deciding that it was the perfect place to scope the terrain, he decided to sit on top of it.

Taking out Hope's telescope, Nero looked around. He saw that there was a very large tree, with strange glass spikes on top. Something else he noticed, was that several seedheads were floating in the air. One of them floated in front of him, and it landed in his Bringer hand. Taking a deep breath, he blew the seedhead away, as it dispersed into little florets.

"Just like dandelions," he muttered.

Nero looked up again, and saw something interesting. In the distance, he spotted the ruins of what seemed to be a tower. The top levels of the tower were spread out across the landscape. The lower part of the tower was still intact, although it still looked as if it had been deserted for hundreds of years.

"Wonder how tall it was back in the day..."

Then, something caught his eye. Looking away from the tower, he noticed a pillar of smoke. It was rather small, which meant that it was not harmful to the environment. However, back in his days as a knight in the Order, he knew that whenever he spotted such smoke pillars in the forest, it meant that people were camping there.

Therefore, he instantly knew that people were near that pillar.

_He_ was near that pillar.

Scowling, Nero decided that he had seen enough. He jumped down from the rock, and began going back to the path he had followed.

During his trek, Nero began thinking about something that had bothered him lately.

When he Junctioned for the first time, he had realized that he had felt himself became slightly stronger than before. As he Junctioned more, he became stronger and stronger. He had gained new abilities, weapons, and became more aware in battle.

However, when Lightning almost drowned, there was a feeling in his Devil Bringer that he had felt. When he became aware of it, he noticed that the certain feeling was becoming weaker. Also, he had felt three other presences in his arm.

At first, he thought it was the souls of the Demon Gods he had slayed. However, when he remembered Lightning's near death state, he began to wonder if it was something else.

'Did I... Was I able to sense her life force? But... How?'

Nero stopped thinking to himself, when he spotted someone familiar. Snow Villiers stood there, with Serah's Tear in his hand. He lifted it up towards Cocoon, as he watched it through the crystal.

"Don't tell me he went to check up on me?" muttered the former knight.

Then, the young man noticed someone else walking up from behind Snow. Deciding to hide behind a nearby stone, Nero watched as Lightning approached Snow.

"How's Serah?" Lightning asked, getting the hero's attention.

Noticing her arrival, Snow's arm fell to the side. "She's, uh... She's still the same as we left her."

As Lightning moved forward, a bright seedhead floated before her. She allowed it to land in her hand, but then it dispersed in her hand. Nero noticed her awed expression, one that he had never seen from her before.

"Cocoon just... Feels so far away," Snow mumbled.

He then handed the Crystal Tear to the Elder Farron. "Serah wants to talk."

Lightning held the crystal up towards Cocoon. Looking through it, she saw an image of an upside-down Cocoon.

Snow chuckled, as he reached for a seedhead in the air, and held it in his hands. "Y'know, I think she'd appreciate it if you skipped the scolding session," he joked.

Then, out of nowhere, Lightning swiped her Blazefire Saber at the seedhead in Snow's hands, making him fall on his back.

"Oh shit!" Nero hissed, quickly getting up from his spot.

However, he stopped when the girl spoke again. "Once we return, what're you going to do? You're marrying Serah, right?"

Snow blinked, as he wondered if he had actually heard that statement. "Wait... What?"

Nero hid behind the rock again, as Lightning looked away from Snow. "Serah wants to know."

Sighing in relief, Snow clutched his chest. "Whew. Don't scare me like that."

Light gave him a stern look. "You _are_ marrying her, right?"

Snow paused, as the words came from her mouth. It felt surreal, to hear that tone. That tone was what he had hoped to hear her say on her birthday all those days ago. Even though it had taken so long, he felt so relieved to have finally gained Lightning Farron's approval.

Snow nodded his head, as Lightning then tossed the crystal in the air. "Then promise me you won't let her down."

Standing up, he caught the tear in his hand, and held it up to her. "Don't worry. I swear to you, that this tear will be her last," he vowed.

Smiling softly, Lightning walked past him. "That's all I needed to know."

As Snow stood there, something came to the back of his mind. She asked about when they got back to Cocoon. But what would happen if, even after that, Serah wasn't saved? What if she couldn't be saved?

"We... We will see her again... Right?"

He then felt a closed fist push his back.

"Don't go there," warned Serah's sister. "There's no room for doubt."

Feeling better after hearing her encouraging words, Snow agreed with her. "Yeah... You're right."

"We'll see her again. And soon," she comforted. "You convinced me of that... So stay strong..."

Nero smiled to himself as the exchange occurred. It was then, when he felt that feeling in his Bringer again. Looking at his arm, he tried to sense it fully. When he did, he felt a mixture of emotions, such as relief, happiness, and sadness.

And when he looked up again, he caught it. Nero nearly missed it, but it was there.

Lightning had shed a tear.

And, strangely, it bothered him.

"Don't worry," Snow assured. "We'll finish this... And go see her together."

The Grandson of Sparda waited in his spot, until the two l'Cie left. He walked over to the spot where they had stood. Smiling, he looked up at Cocoon. It looked like a still painting in his eyes.

"Looks like things will be alright with your sis and Snow after all, Serah," he whispered.

He stood there, as many seedheads flew over him, and into the sky. Nero felt a wave of nostalgia, as the wind blew against him and his coat.

Closing his eyes, he recalled a memory of a day that he shared with his fiancée.

It was that night. The wind blew against him, bringing the smell of gunpowder to his nostrils. Nervously, he had gotten the girl's attention. He had then spoken to her, albeit in a heavily nervous tone. Even now, he remembered what he said.

* * *

><p><em>"Kyrie? We've, uh... Known each other our whole lives, right?"<em>

_The girl nodded at him._

_"And, well, we've been through many hardships together. Both emotionally, and physically..."_

_"Yes?"_

_"So... I just wanted to tell you that... I... I'm so glad that I have such a good friend like you in my life._

_Kyrie giggled. "Hehe. Well, I am glad to be friends with you as well."_

_"Yeah," he agreed. "But... Well, considering our history, I'd like to think that we're more than friends. In fact, by now, I... I think that we've become best friends..."_

_She nodded her head, smiling. "Yes... I believe so too."_

_It was then, that she noticed that he was blushing heavily._

_"But... Well... I feel that... Just being best friends is, well... It's not enough for me."_

_The girl blinked once, but her eyes went wide, when she saw him slowly get to his knees._

_"Kyrie... I've always known this, but not once did I ever have the courage to say it... But, after all this time, I can truly say that... I want to spend the rest of my life with you."_

_Reaching for for his pocket, he took out a small black box, and opened it. Inside of it, was a ring, with a design that had the appearance of a rose's stem. On it, was a clean diamond that was white._

_"Kyrie... Will you marry me?"_

_Noticing her tearful expression, as well as her hands covering her mouth, Nero internally began to panic. He reached out for her, when she slunk into her knees._

_Catching her breath, she nodded at him._

_"W- What?" he asked._

_Wiping away her tears, Kyrie sniffled, as she answered him. "Y- Yes. Yes, I do."_

_Nero blinked. "Y- You do?"_

_Nodding, as she embraced him, she whispered in his ear. "Yes!"_

_Nero gasped in relief. "You said yes... SHE SAID YES!"_

_Both laughed happily as they hugged each other. Both lovers then looked at each other. Losing himself in her eyes, Nero inched closer to the songstress' face, as she inched closer to his._

_Before they knew it, they were kissing each other passionately, under the fireworks._

* * *

><p>Nero opened his eyes, finding himself back in Gran Pulse. His eyes then had a sad look in them.<p>

He hated it. He hated having to accept it. He hated having to accept the fact that this was his reality.

His frown then turned into a scowl, as his eyes looked forward. Nero waited. Eventually, he spoke.

"Come to kill me from behind... Like you did your brother?" he spat.

Nero didn't even bother to look at the new arrival, as he stood next to him.

"If I wanted to kill you, I would have already done so. And we both know that's not what killed him," he replied.

"Doesn't mean you didn't have anything to do with it," Nero countered, as he faced the Dark Slayer. "How dare you show your face to me?"

Turning away from the boy, Vergil walked a few paces ahead of him. "Calm yourself. I did not come here to fight with you."

"And what makes you so sure that I'm gonna stand here and watch? I could easily shoot you right here, and now," Nero inquired.

Vergil gave a small smirk. "Please, spare me the pleasantries. I know you are still feeling the effects of that demoness from earlier. You are in no condition to kill me, let alone fight at all."

The devil hunter frowned further. "You saw that?"

"Indeed," answered the Son of Sparda. "Truthfully, I did not see the point of you rescuing that one girl. Her fate is sealed nonetheless."

"You don't know that!" he retorted.

"It is the fate of most Pulse l'Cie. They will be damned if they complete their Focus, and they will be damned if they don't."

"Look, what the hell do you want?" Nero demanded."

Turning to face him, Vergil had a blank expression. "I came here with no hostile intentions. In fact, for once, I merely wished to stop this senseless brutality, and have a civil discussion with my son."

Chuckling darkly, Nero shook his head. "You've got to be kidding me... You actually came all this way, for some father-son bonding time?"

The Slayer arched an eyebrow. "Am I to assume that you have finally accepted the truth?"

Scoffing, Nero shrugged. "Yeah... It was hard, but I figured that it didn't matter. You and I share blood, but that's it. Nothing has changed between us."

"Regardless, I only came to speak with you. In fact, I came with a proposition," he revealed.

Nero furrowed his eyes in suspicion. "And what makes you think I want to hear an offer from you?"

Vergil was unfazed by his resistance to comply. "Because I hold the answers to the truth about your origins. I can tell you who you are."

"I know who I am. I don't need you to tell me," Nero shot back.

"But I know the answer to the one question that has been plaguing your mind, ever since you became aware of who you are."

Nero looked away briefly, as the question came to his mind. "You're talking about... My mother?"

Vergil nodded. Nero bit his lip, thinking about what he had been told.

"So, you're saying that if I hear you out... You'll tell me about her?" he asked.

"Perhaps. Perhaps not. It depends merely on your own actions, my son," Vergil replied.

Hearing that word come out of his mouth infuriated Nero. However, the young man considered his options. He could decide to completely ignore Vergil, and return to camp. However, there was no guarantee the Son of Sparda would allow that.

On the other hand, he could listen to him, albeit briefly, and see if he could find something out about his mother. True, there was no guarantee that he would hear what wanted to hear, but at least the possibility of it would be there.

Swallowing his pride, Nero decided to comply. "Alright... I'll humor you. Just don't ask any stupid questions."

Vergil then walked towards the edge of the cliff. Nero had played with the idea of pushing him off, but was startled by the man's question.

"What would it take for you to abandon your foolish quest?"

Nero frowned heavily. "What did I just say about stupid questions?"

"Ponder this briefly, if you will," he advised, as he walked away from the gorge. "What is the point of your quest? What are you hoping to achieve?"

"We're trying to save Cocoon, unlike you," Nero hissed.

"I didn't ask about your little circus group. I asked about you. I can understand those humans' desire to live. However, you are the only one I have yet to decipher," Vergil explained.

"I don't need a reason to help people. Plus, that bastard Barthandelus can't get away with what he's planning!" explained his son. "Don't tell me that you don't see how fucked up this situation is? The people in charge of protecting the humans are planning to kill them!"

"And, yet, I don't see how any of this has to do with you. Other than the fact that you were born there, you share no connection to that world," Vergil observed.

Groaning, Nero shook his head. "Look. I don't have to explain myself to you-"

"Because you have no explanation to give," interjected the Dark Slayer.

"Look, what the hell is your point?" Nero blurted.

Vergil's eyes met with Nero's angry glare. "My point, is that the concept of saving such a lost world is preposterous."

He then gestured up to the floating continent. "Look at it. The cracked shell is a perfect example of what I mean. Such a place can be shown as a utopia, but ultimately it is nothing more than a cruel dictatorship in gilded lining."

"The world is ultimately ruled by its fear of the unknown. I believe it is called xenophobia. However, the thing about fear is that, if one is immersed in it for too long, eventually you will become overwhelmed by it."

"Cocoon is walking on a thin line. Eventually, it will be consumed by a purging fire, that will weed out the weak and the strong. It is here, when those with power will rise above those who do not. It is the way of things; inevitable and natural."

Sighing irritably, Nero spoke. "What does that have to do with anything?"

"Well, Nero, that is where you and I come in to the fold."

The half-demon l'Cie blinked. "Wait... What?"

"Nero, you must understand that, no matter what you do, Cocoon will be destroyed. And when it does, you and I can be among those who survive the fall. However, in order for that to be accomplished..."

Nero let the words sink in, realizing what his father wanted. "You... You want me to join up with you?"

Vergil nodded in response. "Yes. I came here hoping that you would stand with me, son."

Chuckling softly, Nero shook his head. "I know I did not just hear that."

Vergil took a step forward. "Think about it, Nero. Surely as a child, you did not once aspire to be something other than what mankind expected you to be? Surely, you have imagined yourself as becoming something greater than what you already are?"

"I am offering you a path to salvation, Nero. One that will allow you to learn the truth about yourself. One that will allow you to rise above those who have looked down on you."

Vergil then extended his arm. "Join me, in defeating our enemies, and remaking this world."

When Vergil saw Nero, he noticed that his fists were clenched, and a heavy scowl on his face. He could not see his eyes, for his hair covered them.

Then the boy spoke. "There's a problem with that statement..."

He then lifted his head, and gave Vergil a glare that would terrify the most hideous of devils.

"_You_ are _my_ enemy," he raged.

"I don't want to "remake the world," and I don't want to join you! How dare you? How dare you come to me, and even _think_ that there was ever a chance that I would ever say yes to you!"

Nero's face was then inches from Vergil's. "After all you've done to me, and my friends... You never had a chance of convincing me to turn my back on them."

The Grandson of Sparda walked away from him, only to be cut off by the man after he teleported in front of him.

"Get out of my way!" he demanded.

Vergil frowned disappointingly. "Why do you choose to continue this pointless conflict? For these so called "friends," or the girl whose death you repeatedly blame me for?"

"I blame you for her death, because you caused it!" he shouted.

Sighing angrily, the Dark Slayer gave him another glare. "I have already made it clear to you, that I did not kill your wi-"

"DON'T FUCKING TELL ME THAT!" raged the demon hybrid, as he got in Vergil's face. "DO NOT TELL ME YOU DIDN'T DO IT! I FUCKING SAW YOU! YOU STOOD ABOVE HER AS SHE LAY THERE DY-"

Taking a step back, Nero tried to calm himself down. Taking deep breaths, Nero put his hand on his forehead, before regaining his composure. He looked over his shoulder, to see if any of the other l'Cie had heard him. For the moment, it seemed that they had not heard his cries of anger.

Facing his father again, Nero got in Vergil's face again. "You want to talk about propositions? Then how about this then? I'm gonna let you go, for now. But there will be a time when I find you."

"When that day comes, I'm going to beat you so hard, you'll be on your last legs. Even better, you'll be on your knees."

"And then, I'm going to make you tell me everything you know about me. And finally, once you've said everything you needed to say... I'm going to get Yamato, and run it through your damn heart."

Nero leaned closer to Vergil's face, inches away from his nose. "How's that for a proposition... _Dad?"_

Vergil was unfazed, as his son said the last word in an insulting tone. However, his eyes had a hostile glint in them.

"It seems that you need more time to think about my offer," he stated, as he stepped away from Nero.

"However, let me make something clear to you, _my son,"_ he hissed with an insulting tone of his own. "Despite your sudden increase of power these last few days, you _still_ do not possess the necessary power to defeat me."

Nero caught his breath as he heard that. He had not expected the Dark Slayer to be aware of his Junctioning.

"You cannot kill me!" Vergil stressed. "If you try, you will die in vain... Just like your Uncle did, when he tried to save that sorry excuse of a world."

That set him off. "HOW DARE YOU!"

Nero charged forward, swinging his Bringer at the Son of Sparda. However, Vergil had disappeared at the last second, using his Air Trick ability. This caused for Nero to fall forward on his stomach.

As he got to his knees, he heard a voice behind him. "So, I am going to make you one last offer."

He looked over his shoulder, to see Vergil standing a few feet away. "Beyond this terrain is a tower. If that old man was right, then that tower is the very same tower where your grandfather, Sparda, removed his l'Cie mark. I will go to the top of that tower, and wait for you."

"You will only have the rest of today to think about my previous offer. I will wait for you there to give me a response, for tomorrow, I will finally rid myself of this accursed brand. If you come, and agree, I will also remove your l'Cie mark as well."

"However... Should you decline, or fail to attend, I will remove my Mark by myself. And after that, I will hunt you down... And make you watch as I slay every last one of your companions."

The half-devil's eyes widened with fear as he heard those words. "You son of a bitch! Leave them the hell out of this!"

"That depends on you, my son. My generosity only goes so far. You should be thankful that I even came here to begin with."

He then turned, and walked off. "I will await your answer tomorrow." He stopped. "And if your friends interfere, I will be forced to kill them."

"LEAVE THEM OUT OF THIS!" Nero begged.

"It all depends on you," Vergil answered. "I suggest that you heavily consider it..."

Before Nero could charge after him, the Dark Slayer disappeared in a blue blur, as seedheads continued floating past him.

Nero growled to himself, obviously displeased by what was presented before him.

"Damn..."

* * *

><p>-Base Camp-<p>

As Nero returned to camp, he noticed that the others were sitting around the fire. Fang had returned, and was roasting fish over the fire. The sun had mostly set, as night was beginning to take the sky.

Looking up, Snow waved at him. "There you are. We were almost about to go lookin' for ya!"

Waving back as the others looked at him, he gave them a small smile. "Sorry about that."

"No need, pal," said Snow, as he gestured Nero to sit next to him.

Nero did so and found that he was sitting between Snow and Vanille. Lightning was on Snow's right, and Sazh was on hers. Hope sat on Vanille's left, and Fang on his.

"So, did you find anything?" Lightning inquired.

"Not much," Nero responded, as he returned the telescope to Hope. "Just the ruins of some tower."

Vanille snapped up when the word "tower" came up. "Wait, what tower?"

Nero shrugged. "I dunno. It was spread out across the terrain. It's as if something collided with the tower, and it caused it to fall over."

"Mhm. Yep, I know which one you're talkin' about. Used to be some scientific-military base, or something," Fang told.

"Oh yeah!" Vanille added. "I remember when it happened. So many people died..."

Sazh furrowed his eyes in curiosity. "Wait, where were you two when it happened?"

"Oerba," both Pulsians simultaneously answered.

Then, they realized what they said. "Wait... Of course! Oerba's right past that tower!" Fang blurted.

"Then that means we'll be home tomorrow!" Vanille cheered.

Snow grinned. "See, that's something to celebrate for!"

"We're still not having a bonfire," Lightning snapped, causing the man to groan.

"Alright, the food's ready. Take your pick," Fang announced.

The seven l'Cie then grabbed their roasted fish, and placed them on some of the branches that Nero, Vanille, and Hope had gotten earlier.

As Nero ate, he was lost in his own thoughts. Vergil had given him an ultimatum. Join him, or die with his friends. But if he joined, Nero would have to betray his own friends, and leave them for dead. The dilemma truly bothered him.

Nero did not want to betray them. They were his only frien- No. Nero realized that they had become more than his friends. But what, was something he was unsure of.

He smirked to himself. Never in his wildest dreams did he ever believe that anyone else could relate to him. Truthfully, none of them were really alike, share for some senses of humor.

However, they had one common trait. They all had nothing. And they were hoping to get something back when this was over.

Yet, in his case, Nero didn't know what he was going to get back.

Sazh noticed Nero's smirk, unaware that the baby chocobo was nibbling on his fish.

"You look happy, Nero. Somethin' on your mind?" he asked.

Looking up at the afro pilot, Nero shook his head, as he quickly thought of an excuse. "Nah, just... Thinking about how Hope confessed his love for Vanille."

"WHAAAAT!" shouted Fang, as she almost choked on her fish.

"Whoa! That's the first I've heard of this," Snow commented.

"Yep. Turns out Vanille's smile makes Hope happy," Nero joked.

Hope just laughed. "C'mon. It was just a joke. Right, Vanille?"

Vanille absentmindedly rubbed her chin, as a mischievous glint appeared in her eyes.

"But Hope! You mean to tell me that you didn't want to marry me?" she complained.

The young boy spat out the fish that was in his mouth. "W- WHAT?"

"WHAAAAT!" shouted Fang.

Vanille giggled at the boy's expense. "Gotcha!"

Sazh shook his head, as he bit his fish. "Mm-hm. Payback sure is somethin'."

Lightning had a blank look on her face. "So, he didn't ask her to marry him?"

"Nah, these two are too young," Nero quipped.

Snow's face then brightened. "Hey, speaking of marriage, guess who just gave me her blessing to marry her sister?"

Everyone looked at Light, who looked away. "What?"

"'Bout time!" Fang exclaimed. "We were all wonderin' when you'd finally do it."

"We even did bets!" Vanille added.

This forced Light to furrow her eyes. "You did?"

"No," Sazh answered.

Nero lifted his fish. "Well, this calls for a toast!" He then frowned. "But we don't have any drinks."

Vanille shrugged. "Then weeeee'll... Do a fishy toast!"

Everyone fell silent at the girl's suggestion.

"Fishy toast?" asked Hope.

"Yeah," she chirped.

Everybody looked at each other, and shrugged.

"Whatever's clever," shrugged Sazh.

All seven of them raised their fish. "To Snow and Serah," announced Sazh. "May they have a wonderful life together."

Everyone except Snow said, "To Snow and Serah!"

The Hero smiled in appreciation. "Thanks guys. I appreciate."

Nero took a bite out of his fish. "You're one lucky guy, you know that?"

Snow nodded at him. "Yeah. I really am."

"One tip from one man to another," he started. "Make sure that marriage lasts, man. Enjoy every minute of it... 'Cause you never know when it'll end."

Snow took the words to heart. "Yeah. Will do."

Fang looked at Nero, and noticed two things from him the last few seconds. He noticed that his eyes seemed different, and his voice had a reminiscent tone in then.

"You look like you're talkin' from experience, Pretty Boy," Fang observed.

Nero's eyes instantly met hers. "What?"

"That thing about marriage," she answered. "It's almost as if you know a thing or two about it."

Sitting straight up, Nero took another bite of his fish. "Maybe that's just me giving friendly advice."

The Huntress shook her head. "No, no. You know more than you're letting on..." Realization struck her face. "You've got the look of a married man."

Nero then frowned softly. "You... You think so?"

Sazh glanced at the half-devil. "Yeah... She's right. You got the look I used to have, back when I was married."

Nero arched an eyebrow. "You were married? What happened?"

Sazh shrugged. "Well, y'know... She and I had our disagreements... Look, it's a bunch of stuff that ain't worth mentioning. The only thing I can say, is that I'm glad Dajh ended up with me."

Sighing, Nero agreed with him. "At least you're honest."

Lightning watched Nero, as he finished eating his meal. "Hey... Are you alright?"

Nero had a confused look on his face. "What do you mean?"

"You're acting awfully distant, today," she noticed. "It's almost as if you're trying to make the most of it. Something you don't usually do."

Nero scoffed. "Pfft. Of course I always make the most of things!" he protested.

"No you don't," Hope corrected. "Every time we're doing something, you're always trying to get a move on. Like the situation with the chocobo today."

Nero sent a small glare in Hope's direction, but then he sighed. "Yeah... You got a point."

"I guess... I'm just glad that this whole experience hasn't changed us too drastically," he admitted.

Snow arched an eyebrow. "Whoa. Where'd that come from?"

"I dunno... It's just, well... We've all been through a lot together, right?"

"Of course! After all, it ain't every day you go to another planet," Sazh reminded.

Nero nodded. "And yet, despite all of that, we still managed to stay true to ourselves. I mean, did anyone here ever expect to be on such a big adventure like this one?"

"Oh, not me," the afro man added. "If you had told me during the Purge that I was gonna end up in Pulse, I'd never would have believed you."

The young hybrid laughed. "Hehe, yeah. But even though we've literally been through hell, we haven't really changed that much. And even if some of us have changed, those changes are for the better."

Light silently nodded, as she knew his words were referring to her.

"At this point, there's almost no secrets between all of us... None of us have baggage holdin' us down anymore..."

His face then fell. "None of us... Except me..."

The group fell silent as the words escaped his mouth. No one spoke for a brief moment, as they tried to decipher what he meant.

Finally, Fang gave up. "Okay, not to sound rude or anything, but what exactly is your point, Pretty Boy?"

Taking in a deep breath, Nero explained himself. "What I'm trying to say, is that I feel that I haven't been completely honest with you guys..."

Lightning arched an eyebrow curiously. "Define honest."

"Well," he began. "You've all shared your stories, and your mistakes. But me? All I've done is tell you the basics about me. But everyone here has already gone past that point."

"And plus, I feel that all the demon attacks that we've experienced lately are just consequences of me being here. I mean, if I wasn't here, what would've been the chances that Lightning wouldn't have almost drowned?"

"Hold on. There's no guarantee that what happened with the demoness wouldn't have occurred without you, anyway," Light interjected. "And let's not forget, _you_ were the one who saved me."

"She's got a point. That counts for something, right?" Hope reasoned.

"Regardless, I feel that my presence here has forced you guys into the middle of this conflict I have been in all of my life," he explained. "And because of that, I feel that it's unfair that you guys don't know anything about why I'm in this fight."

"I think... No. I know it's time. I need to tell you guys why I hate him."

Hope's face had a grim look on his face. "You mean..."

Nero nodded. "Yeah... Vergil."

"B- But why? You don't have to!" Vanille pleaded.

The Son of Vergil raised his hand. "No, Vanille. I have to. Otherwise, I'll never do it."

"Please understand, that I'm doing this because of you guys. Not only do I feel that you guys need to know, but I feel that... Maybe... Maybe it'll make me feel a bit better. Like getting something off of my chest."

Snow raised his arms. "Hey, man. Whatever you feel needs to be done."

Encouraged by the man's words, Nero smiled. It quickly fell, as he rubbed his chin.

"Still... Where to start?"

"Look, just take it easy, son," Sazh advised. "Why don't you start from, I don't know... From your childhood?"

Nero blinked. "Why?"

"Well, you know. To help explain it better."

"Yeah," agreed Vanille. "That way, it'll make you less nervous."

The demon hunter pondered her words, and nodded in agreement. "Alright. I'll start from the beginning."

Everyone sat up, as Nero let out a nervous breath. He closed his eyes briefly, but opened them.

"Alright. As we all know, I was born on Cocoon. However, I somehow ended up on another planet, called Earth, and was raised there."

He paused briefly, as a thought came to him. "Earth... Well, it's very different from both Cocoon and Pulse, but at the same time, very similar."

"What do you mean?" Hope asked.

"Well, Earth today is vastly populated. Apparently, there's six billion people living there."

"Wow," awed Fang. "That's pretty big."

"Yeah. I don't think Cocoon's population is that large. It's said to be up in the tens of millions," Hope added.

Nero was surprised to hear that fact. "I see... Well, Earth has a larger population."

"However, unlike Cocoon, the world isn't ruled by just one government. Everyone's pretty separate. For every country, there's either one government, or in some unlucky few, different groups trying to bring their own government to power."

Lightning understood what that meant. "That usually leads to war, right?"

"Yep," he responded. "Man, you would not believe all the stupid things people fight for in my world. Land, oil, ideals, religion. It's all just a bunch of utter bullshit."

"Wait, so your world is just a bunch of people warring with each other?" Snow asked, in a surprised tone.

Nero shook his head. "Not really. It's just the assholes running the government, some rich people, and fools who think that killing others is the will of their "god.". Everyone else has their own problems to deal with. Although,that doesn't mean that there aren't good people. Truthfully, there're more good people on Earth, than there are bad. The problem is that there're also a lot of bad people."

Snow's eyes fell to the ground. "Well... At least there _are_ heroes in your world."

Nodding at him, Nero agreed with him. "To be honest though, seeing how peaceful Cocoon is, when there aren't people trying to kill us, I wouldn't mind living there."

Vanille raised her hand. "But, how is your world like Gran Pulse?"

Nero rubbed his neck. "Well, there is wildlife. Some countries even have special reserves for animals, so they can live free from harm."

Fang frowned angrily. "I'm guessin' that's because people were killing them?"

Nero nodded solemnly. "Yeah... Again, it goes back to that one thing I said about there being lots of bad guys."

"How cruel..." Vanille muttered sadly.

Deciding to change the subject, Nero began from where he left off. "So anyway, I was raised in an island called Fortuna. I already told some of you about this, but I was raised in an orphanage-"

"Woohoo!" cheered the leader of NORA. "Same here, man!"

Nero stared blankly at Snow, as did everyone else. The devil hunter simply decided to ignore him. "So anyway, yeah. I was raised in an orphanage. They named me Nero, because when they found me, I was wrapped in a black blanket. In one language, "Nero" means black."

Ignoring Snow's rejected frown, Nero continued. "I, uh... I didn't really have a pleasant childhood. Kids would always make fun of me, sayin' that my mom was a prostitute, because no one knew who she was."

"Ouch. That's cold," Sazh commented.

"Tell me about it," Nero agreed. "But I didn't really pay them much attention."

"So, there was always this family, who would always come in and help out in the orphanage. I wasn't adopted by them, but they took a liking to me. They would let their kids play with me, and they'd always ask how I was doing. Needless to say, they were the closest thing to a family that I've ever had."

"Now, you guys need to understand something. The local government was run by this one religious group, known as the Order of the Sword. They fought demons for a living, and protected the island's inhabitants from them. But, the funny thing about this order, was that in their religion, they worshiped a demon as their Savior. Care to take a wild guess on who that demon was?"

Lightning's chin rested on her hand. "I'm going to take a wild guess, and say that it was Sparda?"

Nero pointed at her. "Bingo."

"A religious group that worships a demon? Aren't those called cults?" wondered Sazh, while the chocobo chick chirped curiously.

"Hold up a sec, Sazh. I'll get to that in a moment," Nero stopped, as there were curious looks on the face of the group.

"Anyway, these people... They worshiped this God faithfully... They prayed to him, thanked him for all of their blessings. Like food, a place to live, their children... They were just so happy."

"Their kids were really happy, too," he added. "I considered them to be my closest friends. Their names were Credo, the brother... And his younger sister, Kyrie."

The young man's face fell noticeably. "But... I guess it didn't last."

"One day, I went to visit them... But for some reason, the Knights of the Order were clearing the area. I managed to find Kyrie and Credo... But their parents were nowhere to be found."

"When I looked at their house, I was in shock. The place was a mess. Windows were shattered, the furniture was overturned... But what really got my attention, was the blood... It was splattered across the floor, even on the walls."

"Some knights came out carrying two large body bags. I remember being a bit nervous, but I went up to them, and asked them what happened. They told me, that demons had snuck into the city, and attacked the household. Credo and Kyrie were slightly injured, but relatively unharmed... But their parents... The demons had slaughtered them..."

He closed his eyes, remembering that sad day. "I... I never understood why... Why in the world did a very selfless couple have to be slaughtered like that? I asked that to one of the knights. You know what he told me?... He said, that perhaps it was the will of God..."

The hybrid visibly frowned. "I was never really religious as a kid, but that day... Was the day that I fully stopped believing in God..."

Vanille gasped loudly. "You're a... Nonbeliever?"

Sighing exasperatedly, Nero looked at her. "I'm guessing you worship some God?"

"A goddess of death, actually," Fang answered.

Hearing them out, Nero continued. "Look, I'm not preachin' my own beliefs to you guys, but understand that these are _my_ beliefs."

"The way I see it, if there really was a God, he wouldn't have let the kind people, who prayed and believed in him so much, die..."

Hearing his opinion, Sazh understood him. "To each his own."

The half-demon continued with his tale. "Credo and Kyrie were left orphaned. After their parents' death, we became closer. Eventually, as we got older, Credo decided that he wanted to become a Knight for the Order. Kyrie followed her parent's example, and usually helped the people in the city. She also became the Order's official songstress for ceremonies, and the like."

Nero smiled nostalgically. "Her voice... Was so beautiful."

His smile quickly went away. "Anyway, I also decided to join up with the knights of the Order."

"But why?" inquired Lightning. "I thought you were atheist?"

"Yeah, but I wasn't joining them because of their beliefs. I joined up because I wanted to protect the people that mattered to me. My small family."

"It was during my time with the Order, where my sword skills developed. Credo was the one who taught me to use it, and following his footsteps was one of the other reasons I joined. I looked up to him. He was so kind."

The boy then laughed to himself. "But he was always so serious. He'd usually end up having to step in for me, when some of the Order's officials would have problems with me."

"Why?" Snow asked.

"Well, let's just say, I didn't really like the whole concept of "teamwork" in the Order. Most of the time, I'd always end up killin' more demons, and they'd always complain about my beliefs, and because of my gun. See, the Order's main weapon was the sword. They thought using anything else was an insult to God. Needless to say, I didn't give a shit."

"So you're a gunsmith?" Sazh asked.

"Well, I learned a few things. And from those things, I made the Blue Rose... See, I read in a book that blue roses symbolizes the idea that the impossible can be made possible. That's why I carved a motif on the side of my gun, thus naming it the Blue Rose."

He took out his gun, and showed the others its rose carvings.

"The Blue Rose... The impossible made possible..." Lightning silently whispered.

With his double-barrel pistol in hand, Nero's story went on. "Where was I? Oh, right. Credo was the one who taught me to use my sword. But, I didn't really get into true combat training, until I ended up under the wing of the Order's greatest warrior. Swordmaster Evangelium. Or Master Evan, for short."

Nero grimaced. "I... I hated him so damn much."

"Why? Hope questioned.

"He was such an asshole," Nero hissed. "He would always do whatever he pleased. All he cared about was battle, and was often seen drinking, or having his way with women... But the Order always ignored his deeds. That was because, out of the whole Order, he was the last human to ever make contact with Sparda."

Fang's eye arched curiously. "Is that right?"

"Apparently, he fought Sparda in a sword fight, that lasted a whole week. He lost, but that was the last time he ever drew his sword. According to him, Sparda was the only person worthy enough to force him to use it."

"I take it this guy was old?" Snow inquired.

"Really old," Nero answered. "I was with two other warriors, but they were assholes too. Eventually, Evan died of old age." He scowled. "He wanted to train one of us to fight him... But he never had his last, ultimate fight. Too bad, old man... Too bad,"

"Uuuh... Nero, you're freaking us out, here," Snow alerted.

"Sorry," he apologized.

"Anyway, one day, we receive word that a group of orphans, who had been cleared to have a trip to the forest, was under attack by demons. The thing about this group, was that Kyrie was supervising them. I instantly went after them, because I wasn't about to allow my friend, or innocent children suffer the same fate as Kyrie's parents."

"When I got there, I managed to kill a few of them off. However, one of them got the drop on me, and left a nasty bite on my arm. The other knights arrived, and dealt with the rest of the demons. But me? I left with a severe wound... And after that, things were never the same for me."

Hope's eyes widened in realization. "Your arm!"

Nero raised his Devil Bringer. "Yep. Days after my arm healed, I started feeling a burning feeling in my arm. Eventually, I discovered that my skin was burning off. At first, the doctors told me it was the side effects of the demon attack. But then, one night while I was sleeping, a pain in my arm woke me up. Dark flames engulfed my arm, singeing it. It was enough to knock me out. When I came to, my arm had changed forever..."

"So, did your Order help you out with it?" Hope asked.

"Nope. In fact, I didn't even tell them about. I guess I was worried about what they'd do to me. I mean, a religious order with a man cursed with a demonic arm. I think a few people would've freaked out. So what I did was cover my arm in black medical tape, and wore a sling. I figured, that maybe people would ask how I injured my arm, and I would lie about it. But, I knew I could only hold out for so long."

Nero then smirked. "Then, I met Dante."

Everyone's attention was once again on Dante's nephew.

"During one of our ceremonies, the Festival of the Blade, Dante crashed through the Opera House's roof, and shot down the Order's Vicar, Sanctus. The Vicar of Sparda was the leader of our Order, so he had command over everyone in the Order."

"This ultimately led to a fight between me and Dante. Now, I'd like to say that I beat him, but considering the fact that I impaled him with his sword, and he still managed to survive, I'd say it was a tie."

Vanille giggled softly. "He'd probably say that he won."

Nero shook his head. "Yeah. Truthfully, I think he was just playing with me. The second time I fought him, he got the drop on me."

"But back to the story. The Order sent me on a mission to capture "His Holiness' Murderer." But, as it turned out, things weren't as they seemed."

"During my journey, I discovered that the Order wasn't exactly as "holy" as everyone made it out to be. I found out that they were making these demonic doorways, called Hellgates. Hellgates are doorways from the Human Realm to the Demonic Realm. They based them off of a True Hellgate that was in Fortuna City."

"Even worse, I found out that they were experimenting with demons. More specifically, they were trying to turn themselves into demons."

"So, I was right, when I guessed that they were a cult?" Sazh asked.

"Yep. I found it out when I met the Order's Chief Alchemist, some stuttering kook named Agnus. He told me that their experiments had been going on for a while. Apparently they were planning to open the True Hellgate. However, they couldn't because the key was broken. That key, was one of Sparda's three legendary swords. The sword that separated the human world from the demon world: the Yamato."

"Yamato... Vergil's sword!" Lightning realized.

"Right. When I first saw Yamato, it was broken in two. But, it somehow... Called to me. Agnus tried to attack me, but the inner devil within me somehow awoke in me. Yamato resonated with my soul, and it reconstructed itself before me. I became the wielder of the Yamato."

"After my confrontation with Agnus, I realized that the Order was up to no good. Apparently, Sanctus had been revived, and he wanted me captured. They sent hordes of demons and Knights my way. The Order had betrayed me. Even worse... I found out that Credo had betrayed me, too... The next time I saw him, he appeared to me as a demon, believing himself to be an angel..."

"Wait, how'd he become a demon?" Fang inquired.

"There was this ceremony they did. I'm not sure how it was done, but it turned anyone who performed it into a demon."

"I ended up fighting Credo, but shortly after, we both found out that the Order had kidnapped Kyrie. I charged in after her, and found Dante again. He explained to me that he came to Fortuna to get back the Yamato."

He paused. "I... I told him that I needed that sword. Not just save Fortuna, but to save Kyrie... And surprisingly, he let me use it. He let me go on, and when I did, I found out what the Order had been planning. They built an enormous statue of Sparda, which they called "the Savior." They were planning to use Yamato to open the True Hellgate, use the Savior to kill the demons coming out of it, and make the Order look like heroes."

"In order to save the world from chaos, they were going to spread it first."

Nero's face had a shamed expression. "I tried to stop them, but they ended up getting the better of me. They used Kyrie, and they ended up taking Yamato from me."

His eyes then looked sad. "Credo... He tried to help me and Kyrie... But Sanctus killed him... And not only that, he used me and Kyrie to power the Savior."

"While I was inside the Savior, all I saw was black... I felt like I was slowly losing myself, becoming part of that damned statue."

"But... I couldn't give up... My will was what ultimately kept me alive. My will to stop Sanctus. My will to save everyone. My will to save Kyrie. And, unfortunately, Dante was the one who ended up saving me."

"While I was in the Savior, Dante had destroyed all of the Hellgates, including the True Hellgate, got rid of Agnus, and retrieved Yamato. According to him... It was Credo's final request."

"Dante managed to send Yamato inside the Savior, thus making me wake up. While he dealt with the Savior outside, I ended up taking it out on the inside. Eventually, I found Sanctus, and Kyrie. I defeated him, and saved her."

"When we escaped the Savior, Sanctus somehow possessed the Savior, and tried to kill us." Nero then raised his Devil Bringer, and clenched it. "Then I did what this hand was made for, and sent him on a one-way trip to hell... After that, it was finally over..."

The l'Cie all felt relieved to hear that his first adventure ended the way it did.

"Wow... You really are a hero," Snow muttered.

Nero shrugged. "Well... I still had to deal with the mess that they left behind."

"Dante decided to give Yamato to me. To this day, I don't know why. Even after I spent a whole year with him, I never got an answer. But, we stayed in contact."

"The city was a mess. Demons were running about, and the Order, the very protectors of Fortuna, was in shambles. We didn't have enough men, or women, to help repair everything. And since we were in international waters, the mainland decided that it wasn't worth their time to help us. So we did the next best thing: we left Fortuna."

Lightning noticed that he was beginning to look uneasy. "We moved out, and found a new island. Hoping to have a new, better future, we named our community New Fortuna. It took us a while, but we were able to build new houses out of resources we managed to find, and some we salvaged from Fortuna."

"Hard times were ahead of us. But, miraculously, we managed to pull through. And me and Kyrie... We were closer than ever."

Fang smirked knowingly. "Sounds to me like you and this Kyrie were more than just friends."

Nero grimaced briefly, but then met Fang's eyes. "Yeah... We were..." He then took a deep breath. "And one year later, I asked her to marry me."

"Aha! So you were married!" Fang grinned, unaware of the unease in both Sazh and Vanille's expressions.

Nero's eyes then fell on the fire. Anxiety was slowly showing in his eyes, but he decided to continue. "No, Fang... I never got the chance..."

He clenched his fist, as he began to tell the tale of that day.

* * *

><p><em>Nero examined himself in the mirror. He wore black gloves, and boots, white pants, with two black leather straps around each thigh. He was wearing a white coat, that was given to those high in the Order.<em>

_He realized that these garments were the exact same design of the ones that Credo used._

_'But I make this look good,' he thought._

_Taking a deep breath, Nero looked at himself in the mirror. His face was cleaned, he memorized the schedule. He wasn't religious, but a wedding like this made it official._

_"This is it, Nero," he said to himself. "Today, you become a married man."_

_He let the words sink in. He, a married man. It felt surreal, yet it was there. He was about to be married to the most beautiful girl in New Fortuna. His Kyrie._

_Suddenly he heard the door open, and close. Looking over his shoulder, he saw a man in a blue coat, with spiky-slicked back white hair. However, his face caused Nero to instantly recognize him._

_"Whoa! Didn't think you'd actually show up, Dante," he expressed. "You never returned my message. I mean, I know the mail's slow nowadays, but I figured you'd at least-"_

_"How do you know that name?" "Dante" asked._

_Nero paused when he heard "Dante's" voice, realizing that the voice did not belong to the man. Looking at him again, he noticed the man's stare. It was serious, yet calm and aware. And if Nero knew anything about Dante, it was that he was rarely serious, and he was lazy calm._

_"You're not Dante... Who are you?" he demanded._

_"I asked you a question-"_

_"So did I!"_

_Both men glared at each other, before the man in blue spoke again._

_"How you know that fool is irrelevant. I came here to take back what is mine. And I will not leave without it," he declared._

_Scoffing, Nero looked away. "Look, pal. I don't know why you look like Dante, or what the hell you want. I'm getting married today, so I don't have time to deal with you."_

_The former knight didn't bother to look at the man as he spoke. "Your personal life does not matter to me. I need my sword back... And I will get Yamato back."_

_Hearing the sword's name, Nero visibly frowned. Looking over his shoulder, he noticed that the intruder had walked closer to him. "What do you want with the sword?"_

_"I want it returned to me. It should not be reduced to a fool's plaything."_

_Nero shook his head. "Sorry. I was entrusted this sword by Dante. If word got out that I just gave it away, he'd never let me hear the end of it."_

_"Though I somewhat sympathize with you, it is a small price to pay," the man told. "Tell me where the sword is."_

_"I can't just give up the sword. A weapon of that power shouldn't be in the wrong hands."_

_"And yet, you fools are in possession of it. I cannot allow this insult to continue."_

_Finally fed up with the man, Nero stormed off past him. "Look, I don't have time for this-"_

_He then felt something cold touch the side of his neck. "Unfortunately, neither do I."_

_Nero snarled to himself, as he glanced at the Durandal that was held to his neck. He noticed blood on the blade, indicating that it had been stolen from a corpse._

_"Look pal, you ain't giving me much of a choice, here."_

_"And neither are you..."_

_Both men said nothing. Silence consumed the room, both men stood still. Both men blinked at the same time, and Nero, then swatted the blade away from his neck. Stepping back, he used a Spectral Bringer to grab his Red Queen from the wall. _

_Raising his sword, Nero gave the man an angry glare. "You picked the wrong day."_

* * *

><p><em>As the guests began sitting down in the main chamber, a noise from above grabbed everyone's attention. Suddenly, someone crashed through the wall, and fell onto the floor.<em>

_Nero quickly got to his feet, and dusted off his shoulder. The young hybrid then tore off his right glove, and rolled his right sleeve down to reveal his Devil Bringer._

_ His eyes then shot up to the ceiling, as he saw his assailant fall towards him, with his sword raised. __Nero raised his Red Queen to block the man's attack. He growled, as he pushed away from his attacker._

_At that moment, people began screaming and panicking. Noticing their distress, he addressed them. "Everyone, go! It's not safe here!"_

_Relieved that everyone heeded his warning, Nero refocused on his enemy, who began to swing at him. _

_Nero blocked a vertical swipe from the right, and another from the upper left. As he defended against the attacker, he noticed that the man was looking at his Devil Bringer. _

_The knight then punched the assailant with his Bringer, but the man instantly retaliated. Both warriors swung at each other again and again, as the clash of blades brought emitted sparks. _

_Catching an opening, the man swiped Nero's sword away, and then did a downward slash towards Nero. He raised his Devil Bringer at the last second, and threw the man into the altar, toppling the podium._

_"Nero!" shouted a voice. _

_Said man looked to the other side of the room. Standing in the frantic crowd was his fiancée, Kyrie. She wore a white veil over her a hair, a beautiful white dress, with long white gloves._

_"Kyrie, get to safety!" he shouted._

_He didn't get to hear her response, as his opponent charged forward, thrusting his sword towards Nero. He rolled out of the attacker's way, and was near one of the stained-glass windows. The man then charged forward, attacking Nero with sword swipes from all directions. Nero frantically defended himself, unaware of the fact that he was being pushed back. Both men then locked into a stalemate, as Nero's back nearly touched the window._

_Then, the man used the force of his attack to push Nero's sword to the side. This left Nero open for a downward slash, that left a large gash on his chest._

_Nero gritted his teeth in pain, but didn't have time to react, as his attacker kicked him straight to the chest, and through the window._

_The young knight rolled down a grassy hill, losing his grip on his sword. When he stopped, he looked up, and saw the Red Queen a few feet away. He quickly jumped for it, but it he was cut off when the man swiped the Red Queen away with his own sword._

_Nero jumped back, as his attacker swung at him. "You've wasted enough of my time, boy. Give me Yamato, and you may just live to be married another day."_

_Getting up from the ground, Nero clutched his chest, as he gave the man a defiant glare. "I can't do that! I've seen what the sword can do! In the wrong hands, it's dangerous!"_

_"And you believe that you people are worthy of possessing it?" the man scoffed. "That sword was not meant for you, or anyone else. It belongs to those whose blood resonates with it."_

_Scowling, Nero had decided that he was through with the man. "Alright then... You want it so bad? How I 'bout I run it through your damn gut, 'cause I've just about had it with you!"_

_Nero crossed his arms, as a blue aura began to envelop him. Letting out a loud cry, he threw his arms to the side, as the sheathed demon katana, Yamato, appeared in his Bringer hand, with the Samurai Avatar floating behind him. Raising the blade before him, Nero unsheathed the O-Katana._

_The other man's eyes were fixed on the blade, etched with a feeling of relief. However, the relief went away, when Nero charged towards him, with Yamato in hand._

_The man jumped backwards, as Nero swiped at him with the O-Katana. Nero attacked from the left, and then swung from the right, finishing his assault with a downward slash. He then began again, with an upward strike, and another downward slash, that caused both fighters to be locked in a stalemate._

_Nero looked at the man, as his opponent sent him a cold glare. "You do not deserve to wield that blade, boy."_

_Nero returned the glare with his red eyes, and broke the stalemate. Both warriors circled around each other, with Nero being the one closest to the church. _

_Deciding to strike first, Nero lunged forward, and began attacking the man with furious rage. Swinging his katana repeatedly, Nero was determined to defeat the man before him. He had ruined his wedding day, threatened him, and more importantly, threatened Kyrie._

_However, in his rage, he did not notice that the man had begun his counter. The attacker struck the katana with an equal force, and sent his own series of strikes. Nero was caught off guard from the attack, and thus, defended poorly against the assailant. _

_Then, with a strong swipe of his sword, the man swatted Yamato out of Nero's hands. Both men watched, as the sword flew through another stained-glass window, shattering it on impact._

_Using the opportunity, the attacker snatched the scabbard in Nero's other hand, and hit the distracted knight with it. Nero fell on his back, but quickly got up, as he noticed the man was walking towards the church. _

_Nero ran towards the man, and tackled him to the ground. Turning him to his back, Nero began punching the man in the face. He had a noticeable snarl on his face, as his fist connected with his opponent's face._

_Nero's snarl instantly fell, when the man caught his Bringer in mid strike. He was too surprised by the act, that he did not see the man's fist, as it collided with his cheek._

_Nero rolled to the side, rubbing his cheek. When he saw the man, however, he got up after him._

_Raising his Devil Bringer, he summoned a Spectral Bringer, and grabbed the man. "You're not goin' anywhere!"_

_At that point, the man in blue finally had enough of the boy's annoyance. Closing his eyes briefly, he disappeared in a blue blur, much to the boy's surprise. _

_Nero quickly looked around him, hoping to spot the attacker. _

_"NERO!" shouted a voice. _

_The young knight looked up, and saw that his fiancée was still inside the church, looking through one of the shattered windows. _

_He instantly frowned, having believed she had already left the premises. "Kyrie! Get out of here! Go with the others, and find someplace-"_

_Nero then felt his left arm being pulled behind his back, causing him to groan in pain. _

_His eyes then widened, when a voice whispered in his ear. "You are a fool to think that you could challenge a Son of Sparda."_

_He had realized that the man had warped behind him when he was distracted. But what troubled him the most, was both the title the man had given him, and the terrified look on Kyrie's face. _

_Before he knew it, he heard an unnatural crunch, but was then overwhelmed by an intense pain in his left arm. The man then turned him around, and sent a hard straight punch that sent him to the ground._

_However, when he hit the ground, his head landed on something hard. After that, he saw black._

* * *

><p>Nero stopped talking.<p>

He looked away from the fire briefly, and looked at the others. All eyes were on him.

But for a brief moment, the words were stuck in his mouth. Anxiety began to overwhelm him, as he began to breath deeply.

Lightning, Snow, Hope, and Fang waited patiently for him to continue. Sazh and Vanille, however, had grim looks on their faces. They both had an idea of what he was about to say.

Nero grimaced to himself, before swallowing loud. He opened his mouth, but no words came out.

Closing his eyes, Nero took deep breaths. When he opened them again, they were looking straight at the fire. But they had a distant glint in them.

When he finally found the words, he spoke. "When... When I woke up... I was already too late..."

* * *

><p><em>Drops of rain fell on his face, as Nero slowly regained consciousness.<em>

_Instantly, a large feeling of pain consumed his left arm, causing him to cry out in pain. _

_Gritting his teeth, he sat up and looked at his arm. He cringed, as he realized his forearm was bent backwards._

_Taking a deep breath, he reached for his elbow joint, and counted for three seconds. When he reached one, he pushed on it real hard. He pushed until he heard a snapping sound, and then cried out._

_Breathing at a face pace, Nero tested his arm to see if it was still functional. He could bend his arm, but halfway, he would feel a stinging pain._

_Nero then grasped his forehead. He felt a warm liquid on it, but he realized that it was blood when he saw it in his hand. He assumed that when he was knocked out, whatever hit him gave him a gash on the head. However, he didn't feel any wounds on his forehead._

_Looking around, he realized that he had fallen on a nearby stone, when he saw a stone with blood stains on it. Nero stood up from the ground, and looked around. Despite the rain, he saw that the church had remained the same. The windows were broken, and his attacker was nowhere in sight._

_It was then, that he remembered what he had seen before he was knocked out. Yamato had been thrown into the church. And inside the church was..._

_"KYRIE!" he cried. _

_Ignoring the pain in his chest and his arm, Nero limped towards the church's entrance. He began breathing quickly, as he rounded the corner of the building. As Nero reached the steps, he tripped on them, and fell on his stomach. Frantically, he got to his feet, and threw the doors open._

_The first thing he saw was blue. As Nero walked into the chamber, his eyes met the back of his attacker._

_The man looked over his shoulder, his right eye looking at both of Nero's. He then smirked menacingly, before disappearing in a blur._

_When he disappeared, Nero saw something that completely horrified him._

_On the steps of the altar, was Kyrie, in a pool of blood. There were gashes and cuts all over her body, blood pouring out of them. Her eyes were closed, while a thin line of blood escaped her mouth._

_The man felt his heart stop for a brief moment. As he slowly registered the image before him, the realization of what had occurred dawned on him._

_Kyrie was dying._

_"NOOOOOOOOO!"_

_Moving as fast as his body could let him, Nero dashed down the aisle, and to his fiancée's side._

_Putting her head against his knees, Nero called to her. "Kyrie! Kyrie!"_

_He gasped, as her eyes cringed painfully, before opening slowly. "N- Ne... ro..."_

_Nero put his Bringer hand to her cheek. "Kyrie... What did he do to you?" He examined her injuries, and was sickened by how gruesome they were._

_The girl groaned, making him flinch. "N- Nero... I... I can't hold on..."_

_Nero shook his head frantically. "No! No, you're gonna be fine... We just need to get you to the town medic-"_

_"No..." she gasped. "I... I won't-"_

_"DON'T SAY THAT!" he shouted. "Please. Please hold on!"_

_Nero caught his breath, as the girl's hands touched his cheek. "It... It's okay... It's okay..."_

_At this point, Nero's eyes began watering. "Save your strength... I don't-" He gulped loudly. "I don't want to lose you..."_

_Kyrie only smiled at him. "It's fine... As long as you..."_

_Tears went down his cheeks, as his fiancée began to cry as well. "Please Kyrie... Don't..."_

_"Kiss me..."_

_Nero looked at the girl's eyes. He saw the life in them disappearing. He inched closer to the girl's face, and finally met her lips._

_Then he heard the most horrible sound he had ever heard. Kyrie had drew her last breath._

_Her limp head separated his lips from hers. Nero looked at her face in disbelief. Her eyes were closed, which prevented him from seeing them._

_"K-Kyrie?..." he called, waiting for a response. None came._

_Tears freely fell from his eyes, as he called for again. "Kyrie!"_

_Seeing her in her current state broke him. His head fell on her chest, as he sobbed loudly._

_No longer able to contain his pain, he instinctively Devil Triggered, and wailed to the heavens._

* * *

><p>Nero had a hard expression on his face, as he finished the story of his tragedy. Tears fell down his cheeks, but he tried to keep himself together.<p>

Looking up at the other l'Cie, he noticed their mixed reactions. Sazh had a shocked look in his eyes, while his chocobo chirped in a pattern that resembled crying.

Vanille covered her mouth with both hands, tears falling down her eyes.

Hope had a horrified look in his face, registering all that had been told him.

Fang's expression dropped, as she had face full of pity.

Snow's eyes were hooked to the ground. Nero could only assume that Snow was somewhat empathetic towards the tale, having lost his fiancée in a harsh manner as well. Unfortunately, Nero could not get his back.

Then he looked at Lightning, and noticed her expression. It was the same one she had earlier, when she had talked to Snow. Sadness was seen in her eyes. She was pitying him, fully understanding why he felt the way he did. She had gone after the Sanctum in revenge, after Serah had been crystallized.

Wiping away his tears, Nero began to end his story. "After that... Dante found me. I convinced him to train me, so that I may be more prepared when I fought with the murderer... Dante's own brother, Vergil."

He then scowled angrily. "And here I am, one year later... I find out that the bastard who murdered my fiancée, was none other than my own father."

He then glared at his companions. "So I ask all of you... When the time comes... Do not get in my way."

"Because taking vengeance upon my father... That is why I fight."

Ch. 31: The Pulsian Tower of Babel

The l'Cie venture into Taejin's Tower, an ancient ruin deserted for hundreds of years. Many obstacles stand in their way, from advanced soldiers, to menacing fal'Cie. Truths will be revealed, while it all leads up to a confrontation between father and son. Nero gives his father his answer to his offer.

**AN: DAMN, THIS CHAPTER WAS LONG!**

**The gang's all returning for Lightning Returns! If it all plays out right, then Nero's part in the tale will be easy to make.**

**If there were any sad themes you were thinking about during Kyrie's death scene, please tell me. I used Xion's theme from KH Days. Feel free to let me know.**

**Until then, READ AND REVIEW!**


	32. The Pulsian Tower of Babel

**Capcom and Square-Enix own DMC and FFXIII respectively. AN: Shout out to Skyshattered for giving me 11 reviews, and thanks to everyone else who reviewed. We're so close to 300, I can practically taste it!**

**So guys... I'm a college student now. I had planned to update this chapter last month, but a lot of things came up. So far, it's alright, but I'll most likely be given more work in the future... So if I take too long in updating, well, that's why...**

**I have more news, but I'll tell you guys at the end. For now, let's read.**

Base Camp- The Pulsian Tower of Babel

Nero sat on the edge of the gorge, looking up at the night sky.

After divulging the details about his origins, he quietly excused himself from the fire, and asked for privacy.

The young man was lost in his thoughts. He felt somewhat relieved after telling his story, but his mind was on the current situation before him.

Vergil, his father, gave him an ultimatum that infuriated him greatly. Join him by abandoning his friends, or stay with them, and watch him kill them.

That is, unless Nero gave him the chance.

Nero sighed, as he slid his hand down his face. He knew that his father's pride was so large that he would go through with his threats. Unfortunately, most Spardas had large resolves.

His ears then picked up a noise behind him. The young man looked over his left, and saw Lightning Farron approach him.

"What's up?" he greeted.

"We're about to put out the fire, and call it a night. Just wanted to let you know," she reported.

"Oh," he whispered. "Well, uh... You guys go on ahead. I'll go to sleep in a bit."

He looked back to the gorge, but then looked at her again when he didn't hear her leave. "Unless you have something else to say?"

He noticed that she was looking up at the sky. "No..."

Nero followed her gaze up to the floating Cocoon. The inside of the shell was glowing green, showing that it was also nighttime up there.

"Looks pretty at night. Cocoon, I mean. Just floatin' there, twenty four hours a day, seven days a week," he expressed.

Lightning looked at him curiously. "What about the other two hours?"

Nero arched an eyebrow. "Whaddya mean?"

"A regular day in Cocoon is twenty six hours. Thirteen in the day, and thirteen at night," she revealed.

Nero blinked in surprise. "Whoa... Never knew that..."

"I'm guessing Earth days are twenty four hours long?" she wondered.

"Yep," he answered.

Nero continued to look up at the floating sphere in the sky.

"You really prefer Cocoon over your own world?" she asked.

He shrugged. "I guess. I mean, at least on Cocoon, things don't look as bad. But then again, that could also be because of the Sanctum."

"So, what are you going to do when you have to go back?" she asked.

Nero was about to answer, but he hesitated. Thinking about her words, he internally wondered about going back.

He chuckled to himself. "You know what? This is the first time in a while that I've thought about that."

"Really?"

"Yeah. I dunno. I guess I thought that killing Dysley was gonna show me the way home. But with all of this l'Cie business, I'm not sure that's even possible."

"Who knows?" Lightning shrugged. "Maybe when we save Cocoon, a way back will present itself-"

"And what if I don't want to go back?" Nero interjected.

Lightning blinked. "W- What?"

Sighing Nero elaborated. "Listen, Light. The only reason I wanted to go back was because I thought Vergil was still back there. But we all know that he ain't there."

"After everything that's happened to me, there's little to no reason for me to go back..."

Lightning, surprised by his answer, walked up and sat down next to him. "You're not going back? Don't you have any friends back home?"

He shrugged. "Yeah, a few... But they have their own lives. They'll move on."

The woman bit her lip, before speaking again. "But... Didn't Dante have friends?"

Nero's face instantly fell. "Yeah... He did."

"Then, shouldn't you go tell them that he's..."

Nero looked away, a mixture of shame and grief on his face. "Maybe... And... I could also go back to say bye."

Scoffing, Nero frowned. "Look, what does it matter to you? We don't even know if we're going to even make it when this is over."

The soldier gave him a fierce glare. "Excuse me, then!"

Sighing, Nero looked at her again. "Alright then, what about you? What're you doin' when this is over?"

Lightning's glare softened, as her eyes furrowed pensively. "Honestly? I'm not even sure about that. I mean, it's not like I can rejoin the Guardian Corps after this. I did quit, after all."

Nero shrugged. "True... I guess the rest of our lives are just blank pages before us."

She nodded. "Maybe..." Light then placed her hand on her chest, a small smile gracing her face. "But at least Serah will be there."

Smirking, Nero agreed. "Well, that's somethin'."

"OI! You two!" said a voice.

Both l'Cie looked over their shoulders, and saw that the others were getting up from around the fire pit, as Fang put it out with a Water spell.

"We're about to call it a night. We need to be ready for tomorrow," said the Huntress.

Sighing, both Nero got on one knee, while Lightning stood up full height.

"Guess it's that time," he muttered.

He was about to stand up, when he heard a loud gasp from Vanille. Everyone looked at her, as she quickly walked to side, while pointing to the sky.

"Everyone, look!"

The other six l'Cie looked at the girl, and then at what she was looking at. What they saw, was the sky illuminated with shooting stars. The group looked on in awe, as the spectacle before them went on.

Still sitting in his spot, Nero whistled to himself. "Well whaddya know? A meteor shower."

Vanille's face brightened, as the white dots in the sky shot out. "They're so pretty!"

Sazh crossed his arms. "Well, make a wish everyone."

"But don't tell anyone!" Vanille cautioned. "If you say your wish, it won't come true."

Snow grinned, as he jerked his thumb towards himself. "Well, I don't need to. I already know what to wish for! And once this is over, that wish will be reality."

Hope looked up at the man. "You're talking about Serah, right?"

Nodding, Snow answered. "Yep. I'm gonna get married to her, and have a big family!"

The elder Farron cast a wary eye at him. "And how big is this family going to be?"

Nero smirked. "I think she's asking about how many times you're gonna make children."

Sazh then burst out laughing, as Snow blushed noticeably. Lightning only sent a furious glare at both males, slowly reaching for her gunblade.

"If only every other wish was that easy," Nero commented.

"I mean, most of the time, wishing never really works. Sure, sometimes you get lucky, but most of the time, you ain't."

Fang grinned. "Aww. Did Nero wish for a pony, and never got it?"

Nero scowled. "Haha. Funny. No, Fang. That's not it."

"Okay, I already know where this is goin', son," Sazh interjected. "You're gonna go on about how, "people need to work hard for their wishes, just like their dreams," and all that. Trust me, Nero, I know that better than anyone."

"Then you know it's true!" Nero added. "It's exactly what you said. You can believe in a wish all you want, if you don't put in the effort to make it reality, it ain't happenin'!"

Vanille frowned visibly. "That's disheartening..."

Hope rubbed his hands to keep them warm. "But, it's better when more people share that wish, right?"

The demon hybrid glanced at the boy briefly, before shrugging. "Beats me. Wouldn't know anything about that."

"But it can be done, right?" asked Vanille. "If more people have the same wish, there's more chances of it coming true?"

Nero waved his hand dismissively. "Look, I'm gonna stop here, 'cause I can already tell that this conversation is going somewhere cheesy."

"At least answer the question!" Vanille begged.

Giving her a brief glance, the young man sighed. "Alright... Maybe. If you do have more people, there's a chance you have better odds."

"See! The more people making the same wish, the more likely it is to come true!"

Light raised her hand. "Excuse me, but where exactly are you going with this conversation? No offense, but it's starting to get pointless."

The girl's grin did not waver. "I was thinking that, since we have a meteor shower , we should all make the same wish at the same time! That way, it'll come true!"

"I didn't say that!" Nero blurted. "I said that you'd have a chance! Not it _will_ come true!"

The girl crossed her arms. "Goodness, Nero! Why are you so negative?"

Putting his hand on his face, he let out an exasperated groan. "Look... You really want to make a wish come true?"

The afro pilot arched his left eyebrow. "You know how to make a wish come true?" he asked skeptically.

"No, but I know the closest thing," answered the devil hunter.

"Then spill."

Nero looked up to the sky, looking as lines of dots shot through the night. "Well... To make a wish come true, you need to make it into something else first."

"Somethin' else?" Fang repeated.

"Yep," Nero explained. "See, wishes are somewhat... They're like an empty space. You want it, but when you reach for it, nothing's there. However, if you turn it into something solid, like say, uh..."

"A picture?" asked Snow.

"It's solid, but not what I had in mind."

"A goal?" Hope followed.

"Close, but not exactly..."

Vanille spoke up meekly. "Um... A promise?"

Nero looked at the Pulsian girl. Turning his eyes away in thought, he nodded in agreement. "Yeah, why not? A promise."

"See, promises, especially important ones, incite action. At that point, a wish changes from a promise, to an action."

"And if there's anything that our trip has taught us, is that the will to act, despite everything else, is the key to change. The key to make things a reality."

"Wishes that turn into promises. Promises that turn into actions. And actions that become reality. Those wishes have the best chances of coming true, and leaving a lasting impression."

"Those wishes... Are eternal," he finished.

The six l'Cie looked at their comrade in awe. Never before, had he ever said words that could be described as inspiring.

"That's deep... Even for you," Lightning muttered.

He shrugged. "I have my moments."

Vanille let the words sink in. Surging with confidence, she suggested, "Okay, how about this? Let's make a promise!"

Nero frowned. "And here's where it gets cheesy."

"Don't be so mean!" she chided playfully. "There won't be a night like this for a very long time. I want to make this moment last."

Getting up from the ground, Nero crossed his arms. "Whatever. It's not like we're gonna forget this anytime soon."

"What did you have in mind?" Hope inquired.

Vanille cupped her chins in thought. "Well... I was thinking about making a promise about saving Cocoon."

Sazh glanced at her skeptically. "Why? Ain't we already doin' that?"

She nodded. "Yeah. But if we promise we'll save Cocoon, it makes it official."

The Hero stroked his chin hairs. "Yeah. Guess that makes sense."

Fang walked up to her best friend. "So, Van. What promise do you want to make?"

The group watched the girl, as she pouted in thought.

Smiling, she finally responded. "Alright! How about this?"

She extended her hand. "Let's promise that, no matter what happens, we will save Cocoon."

"And more importantly, once this is over, we'll stay together for whatever happens after. Because we're not just random strangers brought together by fate. I'd like to think that we've become something else in our time together."

She closed her eyes, still smiling. "I want to make this promise with you guys. Because now, you're all so much more. Now, we're a family! And there's no one else I would rather be with."

The others stared at her with expressions of surprise, and pride. Fang smiled, while Snow grinned heartily. Sazh nodded in approval, while Hope gave her a happy smile. Light also nodded, as Nero smirked.

"What do you think?" she asked meekly.

Nero chuckled. "And you guys say _I'm_ deep?"

The chocobo chick chirped in agreement. "Looks like the little guy approves!" Sazh announced.

Snow walked forward, and placed his hand over hers. "That's one promise I'd like to keep."

Hope then extended his arm, and placed it on top. "Count me in. I promise."

The chocobo chick fluttered over the trio, until it landed just as Sazh had placed his hand over theirs. "You know us. We don't like to be left out."

The afro man then gave a stern look towards Fang. "Hey. You ain't gonna go bonkers, and attack us like last time, are you?"

Fang grinned. "Dunno..."

"FANG!"

She then laughed. "Alright. Won't do it." She placed her hand on top. "But I am making that promise."

The l'Cie then glanced at Lightning. The woman stood there with her arms crossed, and eyes closed. Looking at them, she walked over to them, and placed her hand over the others.

That only left Nero.

As the group looked at him, he had an apprehensive look on his face.

He looked at his Devil Bringer, as his left gripped its wrist. "I don't know... Every time I make a promise, especially a _big_ one, I only end up letting people down."

"You haven't let us down," Vanille consoled.

"So what if your track record with promises ain't exactly, uh... Promising?" Snow dismissed. "There's always a first for everything. And I think this may be the time you actually keep your promise."

"I guess..." The young man looked at his arm, before letting out a deep breath.

He extended his Bringer, and placed his hand on top. "Alright. I'm making that promise."

Gasping out loud, Vanille smiled happily. "Wow... Guys... We just made the best promise ever!"

Sazh shrugged, as everyone retracted their hands."It was just a promise between us l'Cie. No big deal."

"Hey, can we watch the shooting stars until they all go out?" Vanille asked.

"Van, we've got a big day tomorrow," Fang told.

"But it's still a bit early! Pleeeeaaase?" she begged, with a pleading look in her eyes.

Everyone looked at each other, wondering if they should stay up longer.

"To tell you the truth, I don't feel tired," Snow admitted.

"But we need to be well rested for tomorrow," Lightning reasoned.

Hope looked up at the sky. "Well, maybe looking up at the sky will bore us into sleep?"

The others looked at each other, before resigning.

"Works for me," Sazh confirmed.

The girl cheered in excitement. "Just think about it. We're going to be family for the rest of our lives, so we can remember this moment forever!"

"Oh, give it a rest, already!" Nero exclaimed.

* * *

><p><em>"You know, I never believed her back then. But after that night, I can honestly say that Vanille was right."<em>

_"That night stayed etched into my mind. Every time I felt bad, or angry, I'd always look back to that night."_

_"We looked up at the sky, as blinking lights gave us a light show that only nature could provide. We all told stories, joked, and enjoyed every second of it. Even Lightning. It really helped me forget the sadness that followed after telling my story."_

_"Looking back, I realize that it was the first step in my recovery. The was the beginning of the road to getting me back on my feet."_

_"I never forgot that night, no matter how many times I tried. And I never did."_

* * *

><p>-The Tyrant's Gate-<p>

Vergil looked up at the tower before him, while Somar began walking up the steps.

He was somewhat curious as to how a quarter of the tower could be so high. What exactly had they been working on in this tower?

Clearing his mind of the thoughts, Vergil then looked over his shoulder. The night was beginning to end, as daylight was creeping in.

Taking in a deep breath, he raised his demonic aura, unbeknownst to the old man. He released it at a level that could be detected; enough to get his attention.

"Time's up."

* * *

><p>-Base Camp-<p>

Nero's eyes instantly shot open. He sat up, as his eyes narrowed in the direction of the tower.

"Bastard... He's calling me," he hissed.

Calming himself down, he took a moment to look around the camp.

Fang was sitting against a nearby stone, sleeping calmly. Sazh was snoring as he lay on the floor, using his right arm as a headrest. The chocobo chick sat asleep on his afro. Snow had both of his hands behind his head, as he dozed off, with a goofy grin on his face.

Nero looked over to his left. He saw that Hope was sleeping a few feet away, with his left hand on the side of his face. Vanille, who was a few feet behind the boy and with her back to him, had both hands on the right side of her head as she slept.

He then noticed that Lightning was sleeping a few feet away from him. Her back was to him, so he could not see her face.

Knowing that he would not get a better moment, Nero quietly stood up, and put on his coat, which he used as a blanket. He quietly pulled his Red Queen out of the ground, and crept toward the camp's edge.

Before leaving, however, he took one last glance at the group. Looking over them as they slept, Nero finally saw Light as he slept. Her body was curled halfway, arms extended slightly. Her face looked blank, due to her being asleep. Nero mentally noted that she looked less guarded asleep, than she was awake. Perhaps that would change when this was over.

Sighing shamefully, he looked away from them, and at his arm. "I told you guys I couldn't keep a promise..."

The Grandson of Sparda clenched his Bringer fist in determination. "But I will promise you this... I will not let him hurt you guys."

With his decision made, Nero walked away from his friends, with intentions of finally facing his father.

* * *

><p>-The Palisades-<p>

Nero exited the path, and found himself before a large canyon. The sun had begun to rise, giving him a better look of his surroundings. Large stones were spread out across the path. He could not see the bottom, for it was covered in fog, thus making visibility difficult. However, it was the large tower nearby that caught his attention.

Spires lined about its sides, while some of the tower was covered with a stone layer. Underneath the tower was dome-like structure that kept it from falling down completely. Despite it being the lower quarter of a very large tower, it was still the height of a skyscraper.

Nero briefly pondered how tall it would have been in the past, but quickly reminded himself of his task. Looking up at the tower, he quickly deduced that Vergil would be at the top. With reassurance, he began walking towards the tower.

Walking along, he had made it under a stone arch. Nero had only made it a few feet, before he heard a strange sound from above.

Looking above his shoulder, his eyes widened, as a black figure lunged at him with its glowing sword raised. Raising his Bringer defensively, he caught the blade in his hand, as it was aimed at his neck. With a strong tug, Nero threw the assailant over him, managing to disarm him.

The devil hunter looked at the weapon in his hands. It was the handle of a katana, but there was no blade. He then looked at his attacker, and instantly scowled.

"Should've known," he muttered, as his eyes glared at Somar's soldier, Hollow.

Tossing the handle onto the ground, he stepped on it furiously, which crushed it instantly.

"He can't even come here and meet me in person? What's up with that?" he asked.

The Soldier made no response.

Nero frowned. "I'm guessin' you're one of those silent soldier types, huh?"

Again, no response.

Sighing, the half-devil put a hand on his hip. "Look, I dunno if you're a robot, or something, but at least have the common courtesy to participate in a conversation, man."

Hollow stood sill, but surprised the boy when he responded. **"RESPONSE: This unit is only authorized to speak to ranked Sanctum officials."**

"Okaaay... You can talk. Still, you have enough time to talk, don't ya?"

**"RESPONSE: This unit-"**

"Okay. If we're gonna talk, you kinda need to cut it out with the caveman talk. You know, third person point of view? And while you're at it, why don't you ditch the whole "RESPONSE" thing?"

The soldier said nothing in response for a moment. However, it did answer him. **"Affirmative."**

"Good," Nero nodded. "Now listen, as interesting it would be to fight you, I have some business with that blue coated idiot of your group. So if you can lead me to him, I'd appreciate it."

Hollow shook his head. **"Negative. This unit... I... Am under strict orders from Somar Leunam, the Commander-In-Chief, to annihilate any and all of the identified l'Cie, should they come across this designated path."**

Groaning, Nero crossed his arms. "So it was that old coot..." He then turned his attention back to the soldier. "Look, whether you like it or not, I'm getting into that tower. Y'know, I don't even know why I'm here talking to you. You're unarmed!"

Hollow then reached for his back, and pulled out a long, black sheath. Nero examined the object, closely, before watching the soldier hold it before him. Gripping its metallic handle, he unsheathed it to reveal a straight black blade.

Throwing the sheath to the side, Hollow gripped the handle of his blade with both hands. As he lowered it, Nero heard a high pitched sound coming from it.

"High frequency blade... They actually have those?" he muttered.

**"I am Super Soldier Unit-001 Codename: Hollow. I am your destroyer,"** he announced.

Nero tensed, as the soldier readied his blade. "Could've walked out of this."

Hollow then quickly rushed forward. Nero whipped out his Blue Rose, and fired.

* * *

><p>-Base Camp-<p>

Lightning's eyes opened slowly, sunshine caressing her cheek. Furrowing her eyes, she pushed herself up with her hands. Sitting up, she stretched her arms over her head.

When she finished, her eyelids opened slowly. Her vision came back slowly, the grass being the first thing in sight. Looking around, she saw her fellow travelers as they slept. She sighed in relief, knowing that nothing went wrong during the night-

She paused, as her eyes caught something. One of them was missing.

Looking to her right, she saw an empty space that was supposed to have been Nero. Another thing was that his sword was nowhere to be seen.

'Maybe he went to go get food,' she reasoned.

Then, the sound of small pops were heard. Looking to her left, Lightning realized that the noises came from the far path.

The one that they had not been to.

The one they were supposed to go to today.

It didn't take long for her to visibly scowl, realizing that Nero had done something extremely foolish.

"That bastard!" she cursed.

Getting onto her feet, she ran over to Snow, and shook him furiously. "Snow, WAKE UP!"

Snow blinked repeatedly, being pulled out of sleep. "W- Wha-"

Lightning slapped him across the face, waking him up completely.

"WHAT THE- What'd I do?" he blurted.

Ignoring him, she spoke. "Wake everyone up!"

Snow had a shocked look in his eyes, as he saw her furious expression. "W- Why?"

Light frowned heavily. "Nero ditched us."

* * *

><p>-The Palisades-<p>

Hollow swiped at the oncoming bullets from Nero's pistol.

Deciding that that they were not doing him much help, Nero holstered his pistol, and raised the Red Queen as Hollow came down on him. Nero pushed against the soldier, before jumping away. However, Hollow did a front flip and landed a hard overhead swipe, which Nero blocked.

Nero and Hollow swung at each other ferociously. Left and right, metal clashed against the other, as both swordsman fought to kill. Nero blocked each attack from the super soldier.

Once both warriors were caught in a stalemate, Nero pushed Hollow's blade to the side. Using the momentum of his swing, he punched Hollow in the middle of his helmet. The force of the punch caused the soldier to spin away. Still, Hollow used the momentum of the spin, to do a roundhouse kick to Nero's face.

Nero reeled back, and fell onto a stone. Eyes widening, he jumped out to his left, as Hollow swung downward to cut him in half. This caused for his sword to be impaled into the rock.

As the half devil raised his sword, he was caught of guard when Hollow's left leg arched over his back, and kicked Nero's face with the force of a whip.

The boy fell on his back, clutching his nose. Hollow used the opportunity to pull his blade out of the rock, and then charged at Nero. The young man raised his blade to block the oncoming strike. Nero glared angrily at Hollow's black visor, as the soldier pushed his sword against the Red Queen.

In a split second, Nero swung an uppercut to Hollow's helmet to force him back. He rolled onto his back to regain his footing. As soon as he did, he jumped to his feet, and ran towards the soldier.

The battle was not yet over.

* * *

><p>-Base Camp-<p>

"WHADDYA MEAN HE DITCHED US?" shouted an enraged Fang.

She, Vanille, Hope, Snow, and Sazh stood before Lightning as she explained what had occurred while they slept.

"Nero left us. Why, I don't know. But the bottom line, is that he left!" Lightning fumed.

Vanille put her hand on her chest worriedly. "But... But why? After everything we did, why would he leave now?"

Fang crossed her arms. "Guess that explains why he went all sentimental on us yesterday. He was already set on leavin'!"

"Fang!" her friend gasped.

"What? C'mon, didn't any of you wonder why he decided to tell us his life's story? I mean, sure, he was gonna have to eventually. But right when we're this close to Oerba?"

"Guys, c'mon. Truthfully, this was something that's been with him for a while, even before he came to Cocoon. Our problems were more recent, so I can see why he waited this long to tell us," Hope defended.

"Still doesn't explain why he left," Fang countered.

The chocobo chirped sadly on Sazh's shoulder. "I can think of one reason he'd want to leave," he spoke grimly.

The others looked at the pilot's serious expression. Then, Lightning realized what he had meant.

She put her hand in her forehead, frustrated by the fact that she had not remembered Nero's first priority. "Vergil."

"Vergil? But why? He wasn't around here last night," Snow inquired.

"Maybe it's a demon thing," Hope suggested. "I mean, he has detected other demons before."

"So not only did he ditch us, he didn't warn us about Vergil!" Fang in raged.

"Can you blame him? I mean, if someone killed my son like that, I know I'd want to get the bastard," Sazh sympathized.

"Okay, look!" Fang interrupted. "We can stay here, and keep movin' our yaps. Or, we can go after Nero, get answers from the man himself."

Vanille meekly raised her hand. "Ummm... That doesn't involve hurting him, does it?"

Fang shrugged. "Depending on his answer, it might come to that, Van."

Snow, uncomfortable with how the conversation was going, walked to the middle of the group. "Look guys, this is Nero we're talkin' about. Obviously, he's dead set on beating this guy, so maybe we shoul-"

He stopped, when he felt something on his left arm. Looking at it, he realized his l'Cie mark was glowing with a light blue hue. The feeling in his arm became stronger, as he felt a burning pain in his arm.

Crying out in pain, he fell to his knees, clutching his arm. Noticing his distress, the others quickly ran up to him.

Then, a glowing object floated out of his arm. It was a floating blue crystal, that resembled a heart.

They watched in awe, as the Crystal Heart flew towards the unexplored path.

"Uh... You think Nero needs some help?" Sazh questioned.

Lightning's eyes narrowed towards the path. "Only one way to find out."

One way or another, Nero was going to answer to them.

* * *

><p>-The Palisades-<p>

It was when he had jumped away to avoid an offensive swing from Hollow, when Nero felt a burning sensation consume his Devil Bringer. However, he took his eyes off of it, to avoid the soldier's flying kick to the head.

Nero looked as his arm fidgeted from the pain. Although he knew that he was about gain a new power, he cursed at the timing of the occurrence.

The boy swung against his attacker's blade with one arm, hoping to buy himself some time. Unfortunately, Nero's swings were weak and uncoordinated, while Hollow's were strong and precise.

Hollow broke through Nero's defense, when he did an upward slash, which made the hunter lose his grip on the Red Queen. The Soldier followed with a downward slash across Nero's chest, forcing him to the ground.

Crawling backwards, Nero pulled out the Blue Rose, and fired at Hollow. The Soldier blocked both bullets, walking towards the l'Cie.

Nero internally cursed. Here he was, trying to finally confront his worst enemy. And he was about to be done in by his soldier lackey.

Then, he caught something in the distance. He could see a blue crystal heart shooting towards his position.

Nero jumped away from Hollow's oncoming strike, before the Shiva Eidolith Junctioned with him. Instantly, light blue aura enveloped him. As the demonic energy covered his entire body, he felt his arms and legs becoming cold. Strangely, the cold feeling disappeared after a moment.

Letting out a battle cry, Nero threw his arms to his sides, instantly dissipating the demonic energy.

Nero looked examined his new body, trying to determine which demon's power he had gained. He noticed that his body was covered in armored scales. On both of his biceps were black scales, as well as his thighs. His torso was covered in blue scales, and a pair of gills were on his neck. His most noticeable change, was that his forearms and shins were covered in ice.

Nero blinked as he examined his new attire. He could feel the demonic energy pulsating from them.

**"Whoa,"** he awed, as he looked at the gauntlets and grieves.

Nero figured that since he had the power of ice, he had gained the powers of the Demon Goddess of Ice. He had changed into Aquaria Nero.

The newly transformed Nero then regarded his opponent, who had readied himself in an offensive stance. Hollow gripped his blade with both hands, pointing the tip to Nero's chest.

Aquaria Nero raised his arms, and got into a fighting stance. **"Shall we dance?"**

Hollow gave his answer, by charging towards Nero. He swiped his sword from the left, but Nero raised his right arm to block it. Grinning, Nero sent a straight punch into the soldier's gut, forcing him back. When his fist connected, the area where he struck had ice covering it. Nero freed his right arm, and followed with a right hook to Hollow's helmet, freezing his visor.

The soldier strafed backwards, avoiding Nero's high kick. Reaching for his visor, Hollow tore off the ice, and looked at his opponent again. Nero was inches away from his face, and punched Hollow in the stomach. He punched him again, and once more. Aquaria Nero then attacked Hollow with a storm of punches, raining down onto the soldier's gut.

After landing a hard blow with his left, but charged demonic energy into his right arm. Nero then launched a hard uppercut to the soldier's chin, which caused both of them to soar up into the air. As they ascended from the ground, a large pillar of ice followed after them, due to Nero's Aquaria gauntlets and grieves.

Finally stopping his ascent, Nero's uppercut pushed Hollow backwards in mid-air, making him fall on the other side of the ice pillar. As Nero fell to the ground, he decided to make use of the pillar. Charging his fists with energy, Aquaria Nero pummeled the ice pillar, sending chunks of ice towards Hollow. Each chunk sent him further away from the half-demon, and gravely injured him as well. When he landed, Nero give the last chunk of the pillar a straight kick, to make it shoot out towards the Super Soldier.

Hollow reached out for a nearby stone, using it as leverage to pull himself up. The soldier stood up at full height, albeit shakily.

The soldier looked up to find his target, but saw that the l'Cie was nowhere to be found.

**"HOAAAAAAH!"** shouted a voice from above.

Hollow looked up, but was met with a cold, sharp foot to the middle of his helmet. Aquaria Nero had jumped into the air, and shot down toward the soldier with his right leg extended with a downward stomp. Jumping off of Hollow as he fell, Nero followed with another downward stomp. This one was stronger than the last, and pinned the soldier to the ground.

Putting pressure on Hollow's chest, Aquaria Nero raised his right arm. Demonic energy enveloped the gauntlet, as three circular runes surrounded the arm. Charging ice into it, Nero sent a hard glare to the soldier, and swung his arm downward.

**"FREEZING TEMPEST!"** he shouted.

His fist landed on the soldiers helmet. As soon as it did, an explosion of ice surrounded both of them. Various sharp points impaled the soldier. The force of Nero's fist cracked the helmet. When he retracted his fist, all of the ice retracted as well, dissipating into nothing.

Aquaria Nero stepped away from the soldier. To his satisfaction, Hollow wasn't getting up. Looking at the soldier's helmet, he managed to see some of the inside. He only managed to see an eye, which was open. After a few minutes of waiting, Nero guessed that he was perhaps dead, or shut down.

Taking a deep breath, Aquaria Nero looked over himself again, especially the new weapon he received.

**"Sweet Devil Arm,"** he complimented.

He then turned his gaze to the tower, anger evident in his eyes. **"This is one more reason for me to give you one biblical ass beating, jackass-"**

Suddenly, he felt a strong current of electricity shocked him from behind. Screaming in pain, Nero fell on his stomach, reverting back to his human form as he did. He felt numb, as he could not move his body. Nero did have control of his eyes, and looked over his shoulder. Before he could however, he was yanked onto his feet.

And what he saw, was a furious glare on Lightning's face, before she punched him back to the ground. This caused him to regain feeling in his body, although the first one was a painful sting in his cheek.

"What's up, Nero?" greeted Fang from behind. Her tone was also an angry one.

Rubbing his cheek, Nero stood up, to see that the other four l'Cie had arrived as well. Unlike the two women, they had mixed looks on their faces. Hope, Snow, and Vanille had relieved looks on their faces, while Sazh had a look of apprehension.

"So, Pretty Boy? You gonna tell us why you ditched us for that boy in black there?" Fang interrogated, as she pointed at the fallen Super Soldier.

The hybrid's eyes only narrowed, before looking away. "You shouldn't have followed me."

"And you shouldn't have left without us," Lightning shot back.

Nero scowled, and turned away from them. "Look, just head back to camp."

"Why?" Fang demanded. "There something up there you don't want us seein'?"

"It doesn't matter!" he responded. "It doesn't concern any of you!"

"Why's that?" Light shouted. "It's Vergil, isn't?"

Fed up with them, Nero began to walk away. "I don't have time-"

Lightning pulled on his shoulder, to make him face her. When he did, she slugged him to the ground with a hard hook to the face. As he was about to get up, he felt cold steel on his neck. Looking up, he saw a furious Lightning have her Blazefire Saber.

"Make time!" she hissed.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa... WHOA!" Sazh interrupted. He ran up to Light and Nero, hoping to resolve the tension in the air. "Okay, I know what Nero did was stupid, but we're startin' to get a little outta hand here! So why don't we put the weapons down, before we end up fightin' each other."

"Sazh's right," Snow agreed. "We can't go fighting among ourselves this far into the game, guys. Not after everything we've done together.

He walked up to his future sister-in-law. "C'mon, Light. Let him go."

Nero and Lightning did not take their eyes off the other, as if daring the other to make a move. Reluctantly, the soldier retracted her gunblade, and sheathed. Her angry glare never left Nero.

Sighing in relief, Snow faced the half-demon. "Alright. Now, Nero, we've known you for a while now. Ever since then, you've always been honest with us. But ever since that one guy came into the picture, you've been actin' a bit, uh..."

"A bit like you?" Lightning finished.

"Ouch... Anyway, the point is that you can't just go doing these things, man. Believe it or not, we get worried when stuff like this happens. And even though Fang and Sis are mad at you, it's because they care about you. We all do."

The more Nero listened to Snow's speech, the more he guilty he felt. As he looked down to the ground, Nero contemplated what the Hero had said. He had already felt bad for leaving them, but he knew why he had to in the first place.

Vanille walked up to Nero, worry etched in her face. "Please, Nero. If there's a reason you came here, tell us. You can trust us Nero."

The young man looked up at the girl, and saw honest worry in her eyes. His eyes then wandered to the others. In every pair of eyes, he could see their worry. Even after Light and Fang had berated him for his actions, he could see that they too were trying to look out for him.

Unable to look them in the eyes, Nero looked away. "I... Yeah. Vergil's up there."

Sazh nodded in understanding. "Alright. You came here to settle the score. Bit reckless, but I understand."

Nero frowned. "Uh... That... May not be the only reason I came here."

Eyes were instantly on him, with two pairs becoming suspicious.

Hope spoke up, confused by his comment. "What do you mean? Why else would you come here?"

Nero looked at his companions apprehensively. "See... When I went to scope the landscape yesterday... Vergil found me."

He could instantly see the surprised looks on their faces. Light and Fang knew they were not liking where he was going.

"He had been watching us. He saw our fight with the demoness. He used it as an opportunity to get to me."

"He... He wanted me to join up with him."

Fang only blinked once, before narrowing her eyes accusingly at him.

"He said that he knew how to get rid of his l'Cie mark, and wanted me to join him-"

"So that's why! You wanted to get rid of your mark, and screw us over!"

"FANG!" Vanille gasped, horrified by her friend's reaction.

Caught off guard by the girls remark, Fang instantly became quiet. Nero, however, continued to look at her.

"Fang... I would never do that to any of you. To even assume that is insulting," he growled.

"So then what did you tell him?" she demanded.

"I told him to take his offer, and shove it. I wouldn't be caught dead helping him."

Lightning, who was just as interrogative as the Pulsian Native, did not let up. "That still doesn't explain why you decided to come here."

Nero briefly glanced at her, before continuing. "Right. After that, he..."

He paused briefly. "He threatened me."

Sazh arched his eyebrow. "Threatened you how?"

The young hybrid sat down on a nearby stone. "He told me that if I didn't join him... He'd make me watch him kill you guys..."

He heard gasps among the group. Nero saw frightened looks on both of the teens, while the others had more shocked expression.

"Vergil gave me until today to go answer him. I was on my way to go tell him off, when this freak ambushes me," he told, signaling at the fallen Hollow with his Devil Bringer. "I beat him using my new Devil Trigger. And now, you guys are here interrogating me."

Nero sat there patiently, waiting for their responses. He looked up, and saw that what he had said was slowly registering to them.

Lightning's arms fell to the side, narrowing her eyes at him. "Why didn't you tell us this before?"

"I didn't want to worry you guys. You guys were all in a good mood, I didn't want to be the one to ruin it."

"Besides, I told you. When the time came, I needed you guys to stay out of the way."

Fang scoffed condescendingly. "Heh, is that right? I thought you meant that we'd stay out of it when all of us beat Vergil as a _group_."

Nero shook his head. "No. I told you guys. Vergil's mine."

"Doesn't mean that we can't get in a few hits before you do him in," Fang responded.

"I said no. Vergil is dangerous. Toying with him is even more dangerous. When he fights, he won't show you guys any slack."

He then looked at Lightning. "Don't you remember? He almost killed you and Hope. I can't let something like that happen again."

Lightning frowned, obviously offended. "That was back when we barely became l'Cie. We've gotten better since then."

"And you think that bastard hasn't?" he countered. "Who's to say that he hasn't gotten stronger?"

His resistant claims annoyed Fang. "So you're sayin' we can't beat him?"

"Exactly!" he answered. "Out of all of us, I'm the only one who stands a better chance of beating him!"

Fang shook her head. "That coming from the guy who's had his ass handed to him by Vergil. On more than one occasion, I might add."

Frowning, Nero glared at her. "I'm stronger now."

"And so are we!" Light snapped. "Listen, Nero. I know you want revenge, but that's no excuse for rushing into battle by yourself."

"Yeah," Snow added. "Plus, you've got all of us. If we go fight him together, he won't see us coming!"

Having reached his limit, Nero shot up from the stone. "You don't get it, DO YOU?"

Snow stepped back, as he shouted. "If you fight Vergil, YOU WILL DIE!" He then pointed at Vanille. "SHE'LL DIE!" He gestured to Lightning. "LIGHT WILL DIE!" Nero finally pointed at the others. "THEY'LL DIE! IF YOU FIGHT VERGIL, YOU'LL ALL DIE!"

Nero looked at his companions with a mask of fury. Noticing perplexity in their eyes, Nero's anger ultimately fell.

He sat down on the stone, his face showing fear for the first time in front of his companions. "Vergil's taken so many people from me... I-" He gulped loudly. "I don't want to go through that again. I'll die before I go through that again."

The group then went silent, with only the sound of the wind's howl. Nero felt a mixture of anger and shame in his chest. Anger, because he was being delayed with his duel with his father, and shame because he had chosen to leave his friends, unaware of his whereabouts. He did not even wonder if he was going to return to them alive.

Nero felt a hand grip his shoulder. He did not bother to look, as Lightning spoke to him. "Nero. Do you remember what you did yesterday?"

The former knight briefly glanced up at her, but looked away. "Yeah. I told you guys everything."

Light shook her head. "No. That wasn't it. It was something else."

Nero furrowed his eyes in curiosity. "What?"

"By telling us about yourself, you solidified yourself as one of us. You shared your pain, just like we all did. You trusted us with your past."

He shrugged. "So? It was an explanation that was way overdue."

"But the thing is, you _trusted_ us. And now, what were asking you, is to trust us again."

Finally realizing what she was saying, Snow spoke after Lightning. "Yeah. I mean, what's one more obstacle for seven l'Cie?"

Vanille, who had been relatively quiet the whole time, walked over to where Nero was, and knelt down to his eye level.

"Nero, we all promised to go to Oerba together. All of us. We're so close, too. So please. Please trust us," she pleaded.

The demon hybrid pursed his lips. The group stood there in silence, waiting for a response from the demon hunter.

After for what seemed like a whole minute, Nero stood up to his whole height. His eyes drifted to every single member of the group.

He closed his eyes, before nodding. "Alright. Let's go, then."

Vanille then jumped up from her crouch, smiling in relief. The others glanced at each other in agreement, and the group began to head towards the tower.

* * *

><p>Hollow slowly rebooted his systems. After a short while, he regained control of his eyes. During this time, he watched the l'Cie converse with each other, before seeing them leave.<p>

At this time, Hollow decided to use his internal server to look at the files on the l'Cie. He did not have anything on his opponent, or the two other female l'Cie, but he did have files on the other four.

He began with the soldier woman. In the unbroken part of his visor he could see a mugshot of her.

**"Faction: Guardian Corps. Task Force: Bodhum Security Regiment. Rank: Sergeant. Hair: Strawberry-Blonde. Eyes: Blue. Codename: Lightning. Name: Farron-**"

* * *

><p><em>He smiled to himself, as the woman laughed at his joke.<em>

_"P-Please! Please stop! You're too, funny!"_

_He scratched his head, ruffling his short brown hair. The man always blushed when he caught her smiling. He lost himself every time she pushed away her pink locks to reveal her crystal blue eyes._

_He only realized it too late, when he had uttered the words, "I love you."_

* * *

><p>Hollow blinked briefly. His rebooting continued, but something was changing his programming.<p>

**"Li...** Lisa..."

* * *

><p>-Taejin's Tower-<p>

"If we get through this tower, we'll finally reach Oerba!" Vanille cheered.

Snow grinned at her. "Yep. You two are almost home."

The group had walked through the Tyrant's Gate, and were walking down a corridor, with ominous lighting on the floor. When Nero looked at the design of the path, and it reminded him of something from ancient China, except it was extremely old, and was run down.

"How much do wager that his place is filled with monsters?" Sazh wondered.

As he heard the man, Hope visibly frowned. "Guys, isn't that one fal'Cie from before in this tower?"

Lightning's stride did not falter. "After all we've done, what's one more fal'Cie at this point?"

* * *

><p>-Ground Tier-<p>

The chamber that they had entered was easily deduced as the bottom of the tower. Above them was a long dark ceiling with a small bit of light at the top. The room was surrounded by strange pillars, but upon further inspection, they were wheels, that were positioned around the chamber. In the room's center, two stone arcs loomed over a strange crystal, but there was a circular hole where the two arcs connected. Surrounding the crystal were four large statues. To Nero, they looked like armored bipedal lions, with horns on them. In each hand was a stone sword. He assumed that these were probably ancient warriors from the past.

It was as he walked past the statues, however, when he heard something. He couldn't understand it, but he realized it was some distorted language. Looking around, he tried to see if anyone else was in the chamber. However, he spotted nothing.

He was about to continue, when he heard the sound again. And when Vanille spoke, he knew he wasn't going crazy.

"Hey! D- Did anyone else hear that?"

Nero shook his head. "Yeah. I did." Looking at everyone else, he knew that they had heard the voice as well.

Sazh looked around nervously, and looked at the statues. "Uh, guys... Those statues wouldn't happen to be alive, would they."

His eyes widened like dish plates, when one statue turned its head to face them.

"AH! It moved!"

The statue spoke again. The group could only hear strange whispers.

"Does anyone understand what it's saying?" Lightning asked.

Hope shrugged. "I don't know. It sounds like voices in my head. But I can't make them out."

Fang walked forward, hands on her hips. "I can. It says, "Your presence draws the Tyrant's gaze. Leave this place at once.""

Vanille looked at the staue, the Menhirrim, pleading. "But we can't go back. This the only way through!"

"Plus, you let those other two idiots through!" Nero added.

The Menhirrim turned its head towards Nero. It looked at him and spoke again, as Fang listened carefully.

"He who passed here carried Sparda's Proof on his neck," the Huntress translated.

Nero realized what the statue had meant, and reached for his necklace. "Wait! Was it this?"

He held out Dante's Amulet, which quickly got the statue's attention.

""You carry Sparda's Proof over your neck?"" Fang repeated.

Nero nodded. "Yeah. I'm Sparda's Grandson. Me and my friends are traveling, and this is the only way we can go. Tyrant or not, we need to get through. Will you let us pass?"

The Menhirrim stared at the group of l'Cie, before answering them in its language.

Fang smiled in satisfaction. "As you wish, Descendant of Sparda. Look for us, and the path will open for you."

The statue then gripped its stone blade, and impaled it into the ground. A light illuminated the room, and a rumbling sound was heard. All around them, the walls rotated, linking with a rail along the wall. Strangely, small bell chimes were heard when the machinery was working.

When the rails linked together, a circular elevator descended from the upper floors.

Snow smirked. "Easy enough."

Hope had a cautious look on his face. "But it could still be a trap."

"Could be. After all, Vergil came before us, and messed the pattern up. He could've left us a few surprises," Nero concluded.

The afro man shrugged. "Then again, there aren't any stairs for us to use, are there?"

Fang walked towards the elevator. "Bumpy or not, this is our ride. So let's go!"

The others followed after her, and they all entered into the elevator. There was a lever at the center. Once everyone was inside, Light pulled it, and a whirring sound was heard. With a small jerk, the elevator ascended, with the seven l'Cie inside.

-Second Tier-

The elevator stopped, startling the group. To the right, the elevator opened, to reveal that they were on their first stop.

The group walked out of the elevator, when a distant howl was heard.

"What was that?" Hope nervously.

Suddenly, the fal'Cie from before had appeared from the lower floors. Now that it was close, Nero examined it fully. It had a large face reminiscent of a golden skull, with two horns on the sides of its face, and white paint surrounding its eye sockets. A long tail followed behind it, made out of large pearls, and strange ornaments that had faces designed on them. Two arms with green scales were on it sides, with sharp claws as well.

"This thing must have been waiting for us!" Lightning realized.

The fal'Cie, Dahaka, screeched at them, before doing a circular loop. As it did, the group noticed that it had three pearls at the bottom of its tail, resembling a snake rattle. The pearls began to glow, and as it did the loop, it fired a Firaga Blast.

"RUN!" shouted Snow, as the group scrambled to get away.

The seven managed to dodge the blast, before it collided with them. It created flames that cut them off from the elevator.

Another screech was heard, and the l'Cie drew their weapons as Dahaka hovered before them.

"Here we go again, "Fang remarked dryly.

"Tenacious little fella, ain't he? Can't take a hint!" Snow responded.

Light scoffed. "Teh. You're one to talk."

Before Snow could answer, three lights appeared before them. Out of them, came three Menhirrim, with weapons in hand.

Two of the warrior statues charged at the fal'Cie, swiping their weapons at it, and forcing it back. The one that stayed behind, however, charged energy into its stone sword, and swung. When it did, it released a wave of energy that was sent to Dahaka. The energy wave sliced through half of the tyrant's tail. Dahaka screeched in pain, as it flew to the upper levels in retreat.

Sazh stared at the floating statues with a dumbfounded expression, before cheering loudly. "WOO! Yeah! I'll be damned!"

Nero faced him. "You tryin' to jinx us?"

The Menhirrim trio turned towards the seven l'Cie. They heard one of them speaking to them.

"Vanille, what are they saying?" Hope inquired.

The girl listened carefully to the statue. "They're... They're sad..."

In a bright flash, the three Menhirrim disappeared, leaving the travelers to themselves again.

"Well, at least that thing won't bother us again," Lightning acknowledged.

"Still, we need to be on our guard. For all we know, Vergil's right around the corner," Nero cautioned.

With that being said, the l'Cie continued to walk down the pathway.

* * *

><p>-Sixth Tier-<p>

The three Vampire Cie'th stumbled backwards, before they all fell backwards, with both halves of their bodies separated. Before them, the Sanctum l'Cie sheathed his blade slowly.

Somar Leunam walked up from behind and examined the corpses. "Impressive."

Vergil ignored the man, and continued walking past the doorway. In his sights, was another elevator to be used.

""An Offering of Blood must be given in the Pulsian Tower of Babel. Let the Blood of the l'Cie fall into the ground of the Cloven Spine, in the Coming Hours of the Day of Wrath." That is what the excerpt in the Ark said, did it not?" asked the Dark Slayer.

"Indeed," He answered, as he placed his hand on Vergil's shoulder.

Vergil tensed briefly, before walking away. "Once there, we will have to investigate the whereabouts of where to make this offering."

Somar nodded. "True, but there is still the dilemma of what the offering is."

"That will not be a problem..."

Somar watched as Vergil slowed to a stop. As he stood there, the old man noticed that the l'Cie was shaking violently.

A sly smile appeared on the old man's face. "Of course that won't be a problem."

Vergil fell on his knees, shaking sickly. "What... What have you done to me?"

Somar walked before Vergil, and knelt in front of him. He lifted his right hand, the one he patted Vergil's shoulder with. Looking closely, the Sanctum l'Cie saw little spikes on the glove's palm.

"Yes. I placed a certain poison on these little spines. One of our most developed weapons in PSICOM, made just for l'Cie. You see, it begins with paralysis, making you lose control of your entire body. Eventually, you'll black out, and expire."

Vergil slumped further, never taking his eyes off of Somar. "How... Dare you..."

The old man stood up, grinning triumphantly. "Let's be honest with each other, Vergil. You were going to kill me once this was all over, anyway. At least now, you won't have to worry about that."

"And as for our offering, well, I'm going to need your blood." he explained. "Seeing as you were the only l'Cie I could get my hands on."

Seeing Vergil's helpless position, he elaborated further. "You see, originally, I was going to steal one of the captive l'Cie back in the Palamecia, and use it to translate the Pulsian lore at the Ark. However, seeing as how we were attacked, I had to abandon my plans to save my life."

"Thankfully, you appeared. True, I had to make you think you were in charge, but it was all worthwhile. Thanks to you, I learned of how Sparda freed himself from his curse."

"But what it also did, was confirm a legend. You see, Cocoonian lore stated that they were also experimenting with methods to enable people to use magic naturally, even if you were not a l'Cie. If this place truly is where Sparda abandoned his role as a l'Cie, then this is where I will gain new power.

He began chuckling. "I will gain the power of magic, and shall overthrow the fal'Cie! I will take my place as the most powerful being on Cocoon, and rule as I should have done years ago!"

The older Leunam laughed as he played the thought of finally being the leader of Cocoon.

"And I have you to thank for it, Vergil! I owe it all to you! Heheheh, HAHAHAHA-"

Suddenly, he heard the sound of sliding metal. Then, after a brief second, he felt pain on his left eye. Screaming in pain, Somar clutched it, as Vergil stood on his full height, with Yamato in his hand.

"That's all I needed to hear," he responded.

Somar's eye widened in shock. "B- But! The poison! How-"

"Your venom was made for regular l'Cie. I am not a regular l'Cie. I am beyond that. I am a Son of Sparda!" he interjected.

Stepping backwards, Somar then sprinted towards the exit, and past Vergil. The old man only made it a few feet from the door, before something impaled his leg. Crying out in pain, he looked at his leg, and saw a light blue phantom sword that went through the back of his knee. It broke apart, and he hastily limped towards the doorway.

Vergil, meanwhile, walked towards the official with dark intent. "Did you think yourself to be wily enough to deceive me? I warned you, those that betray me shall receive a swift and painful death!"

Somar fearfully stepped back, and held his arm up. "No! P- Please! Mercy, I beg of you!"

Then, suddenly, the tower began to shake, with sounds of bell chimes being heard. Somar fell forward, right in the middle of the door. The Sixth Tier began spinning, which closed the path to the room Vergil was in. Thus, Somar was caught in between the opening as the chamber was closing.

Seconds later, Vergil turned away, as Somar cried out in pain. Vergil stood by, as he heard the sounds of bones crunching, and Somar's cries dying. After a few seconds, the only thing heard, was the sound of the bell chimes.

Vergil breathed deeply, before swiping his sword in the air, sheathing it.

"So he decided to come after all."

* * *

><p>-Fifth Tier-<p>

"I think my legs are startin' to hurt from going up and down these stairs," muttered Sazh.

The group was walking down a stairway and descending down to the next floor. They had tried looking for the next Menhirrim that would help them get to the top.

"It's funny, because you were just talkin' about how there weren't any on the bottom," Snow commented.

Sazh scoffed. "Yeah. Me and my big mouth."

They all made it to the central walkway. To their relief, in the far right end of the walkway was the statue that they were looking for.

"Found it!" cheered Vanille.

The group approached the statue, hoping to activate it. However, that hope disappeared when a loud screech entered into their ears.

The seven l'Cie looked to their left to see Dahaka rising come the upper floors. From the bottom of its tail, they saw a large pearl glowing in a light blue hue. Then it whipped its tail at them, and it fired a large Blizzaga spell.

Snow led the teens away from the blast, while Fang, Light, and Nero jumped away. Sazh barely managed to run frantically away from the point of impact.

The pilot looked at the frozen wall behind him, and then sent an annoyed glance at the Viper.

The chocobo chick chirped angrily, as he hollered, "HEY! Pick on someone your own size-"

He was cut off, as the three Menhirrim appeared before them in a flash of light.

"Whoa! M- my bad."

Two of the warrior statues charged towards the fal'Cie, with weapons raised. One Menhirrim struck the fal'Cie, causing it to recoil away from the statue. Howling at the figures, Dahaka swung its tail at two of the statues. Both Menhirrim were forced to the wall of the section. They fell down a few feet, before disappearing in a blue flash.

The last statue charged energy into its weapon, and swung a wave beam towards the fal'Cie. The energy wave connected, and sliced off the rest of Dahaka's tail, leaving only one pearl remaining.

Hissing at both the statue and the l'Cie, Dahaka flew away from them, heading to the top of the tower.

Seeing that the danger had passed, Hope sighed in relief.

"That was close... I guess they saved us again."

The Menhirrim faced the seven travelers, and spoke to them in its language.

Vanille listened to the living statue. "They want to help us," she translated.

The statue then pointed at its fellow statue, which was a few feet away from the group.

"It says, "Show the Proof of Sparda to my brother, for he shall lead you to the Apex of this tower. There, the Tyrant waits.""

The Grandson of Sparda tensed, when he heard her. Apex was another word for the top. And waiting for him at the top, was Vergil.

Then, the Menhirrim disappeared in another flash.

"It's gone..." Vanille spoke.

Snow walked towards the statue. "Well, at least the path's open, now. That's good right?"

Nero nodded, as he walked past Snow, and towards the statue. He stood in front of it, and reached for Dante's Amulet. After pulling the trinket away from his neck, he held it up in his Bringer hand. He lifted his arm, and showed it to the statue. After a few seconds, the Perfect Amulet began to glow in a red hue.

Seeing this, the Menhirrim gripped its stone club, and impaled it down to the floor. A spark of magic hit the ground, with caused the ground to shake. Bells chimed nearby, as the tower began to spin again. The group fell to their knees, trying not to be thrown off of the walkway.

Nearby, they could see that the rails on the Fifth and Sixth Tiers had connected to the main rail.

Putting the amulet over his neck again, Nero walked back to the group. "So now what?"

"Now, we backtrack, and get on that elevator," Fang explained.

* * *

><p>-Sixth Tier-<p>

The elevator ascended onto the floor, before the rail ended. Its gears slowed to a stop. The hatch opened, and the seven travelers exited the elevator.

Sazh looked up at the ceiling, but saw none. He could see the light of the sun, as a large hole brought small amounts of sunlight down.

"Not too far from the top, now," observed the pilot.

"Not too far from Oerba, too!" added Vanille happily.

Nero, however, was nervous. The closer they were to the top, the closer they were to Vergil.

"Guys, hold on," Lightning warned suddenly.

As they group walked towards an opening, a gruesome sight was placed before them. The corpses of three Vampire Cie'th were on the floor. They were all eviscerated, as limbs were spread out across the floor.

What caught their attention, however, was the bloody mess in front of them.

Hope, covered his mouth at the sight. Two halves of what seemed like a human body was on both sides of the opening.

Nero crouched over the body, while everyone else cringed. Lightning took a few steps forward, followed by Fang. Both women did not get too close to the body, however.

"What is it?" Fang asked.

"Or better yet, who?" Lightning added.

The devil hunter examined the body closely. As he did, he began to recognize the blood stained uniform, and ultimately, to who it belonged to. He could not recognize the face, for it was bruised and scarred beyond repair. Also, the other half of the face was missing.

Nero stood up. "This thing right here? It's Leunam."

Sazh blinked. "Leunam? As in the old man?"

Nero nodded in response.

"But how'd he end up like this?" Snow inquired.

"Beats me. All I know is that whatever happened to him must have been pretty painful," Nero added.

Vanille frowned. "How terrible."

"Trust me, Vanille. He more than deserved a painful death," Lightning assured with a small tone of venom.

Nero then looked ahead. In another room was an elevator.

Hope walked beside him, and saw the elevator. "That leads to the top right?"

"Yeah. It does..."

He led the group, as they approached the elevator. However, before ascending the ramp, Nero stopped. Noticing his action, the others decided to do the same.

"Somethin' on your mind, Pretty Boy?" Fang asked.

Nero glanced up at the ceiling. "He's... He's up there."

Knowing whom he was referring to, the group went silent.

"C'mon," Snow urged, as he pounded his fists together. "We're all here, man. Together, your old man won't know what hit him."

Nero, closed his eyes slowly, taking in a deep breath.

"Look guys... I'm glad that you came all this way with me. You have no idea how relieved I am to know that you guys have my back.

His eyes opened, revealing a firm and determined gaze. "But there's one thing I want to say..."

Quickly turning to face them, retracted his Devil Bringer backwards, and shot it forward with the palm extended. This summoned a Spectral Bringer that pushed the other l'Cie into the wall.

Recovering from the shock, Lightning looked up, and saw Nero walking towards the elevator. He looked back at the group, with a sad look on his face.

"I'm sorry."

Nero then pulled the lever, and the hatch began to close.

As it did, the hybrid took one last look at his friends. In each and every one of their faces, he saw mixed expressions of shock and hurt.

Nero took a deep, shameful breath as the elevator ascended.

"I really am sorry... But this is something I have to do on my own..."

-The Cloven Spire-

Nero waited patiently, as the elevator stopped. Getting out of it, he took notice of his surroundings. The area he was in was exposed to the outside. The sky was still reddish-orange, for the sun was still rising. In the middle of the area was a raised platform that was held by the spires that surrounded the tower. Below the platform was a small narrow walkway, that had a deep, dark chasm below it.

Nero kept his eyes forward, as he descended the ramp. He walked a few meters along the area's outline, before stopping.

Standing a few feet away, was his father, Vergil, looking out into distance.

Neither said anything to the other for a few seconds, before Vergil spoke.

"You came... As expected."

Nero said nothing, waiting for him to finish speaking.

"However... Did you believe that I would not sense the energy coming from the other l'Cie?"

Nero frowned. "That was all thanks to that old man. If he hadn't left his pawn there, I would've gotten here sooner. But since that was the case, the others found out that I left, and followed me."

"Why did you not send them back?"

Nero smiled to himself. "We're all pretty stubborn."

"... I see." Vergil finally turned to face his son.

"So answer this. Did you kill the old man?" Nero wondered.

Vergil shook his head. "Unfortunately, no. Somar attempted to poison me, but it was weak. When he tried to run, to tower shook, and crushed him while he was in the middle of the doorway."

"But he was just another means to an end, right? Like Dante?"

The Dark Slayer chose to ignore the question. "Have fully considered my offer?"

The boy frowned, and looked at the man again. "Your offer. The one where you and I save ourselves, and leave my friends to rot, right?"

"That is correct, to a certain extent."

Sighing, Nero's hands dropped to the side. "So you seriously want to go through with this?"

"Yes," Vergil confirmed. "I have yet to perform the task myself. I waited for you, so that I may receive an answer. It is rather fitting, is it not? Father and son. Defeating the fal'Cie curse together."

The Son of Sparda's word only annoyed Nero further. Looking a way, he looked into the distance, where the sun was rising.

Thinking to himself, a thought came to the young man's mind. "What's gonna happen to my friends?"

Vergil lifted his head, his gaze piercing. "There is nothing that can be done for them. Their fate is sealed."

"How do you know that?" Nero responded.

"Despite their positions as l'Cie, they are still only humans. Therefore, they lack any true potential to change anything. You and I, however, have the blood of demons. Our heritage grants us the right to change the way of things. It is our birth right."

"But then, couldn't I just as easily change their fates as well, since it's my "birth right" to change things?" Nero countered.

Vergil shook his head. "It is pointless, my son. Why must you persist in aiding them?"

Nero's head snapped towards him. "Because I care about them, damn it!"

Sighing in frustration, Vergil gave a harsh glare at Nero. "Enough... Answer me. What is decision? Will you join me, or not?"

Nero laughed to himself. "I think... We both know what my answer will be."

The former knight reached for his sword, and unsheathed it. He then leveled it, and pointed the Red Queen towards his the Dark Slayer.

"Here's my answer. Take your offer, and shove it"

Hearing this, Vergil scowled as he sent a menacing glare at his son. "You fool... You would pass this opportunity? One that may never appear again?"

"That's right," Nero answered. "I don't need your help to get rid of this curse. Me and my friends are capable of finding out how to do it ourselves."

His father scoffed. "Need I remind you that your decision is also at the expense of your fellow l'Cie?"

Nero shook his head. "Nope. It ain't happenin'. You'll be dead before you can even try."

The Son of Sparda grew even more frustrated. "I do not understand... Why do you foolishly risk your own well being for them? They mean nothing to you!"

"That's where you're wrong," Nero interjected. "See, we all have each others back. Even though I chose not to include them into this fight, I know that they would risk their necks for the people we care about."

"That's what you do in a family. That's what they are to me. My family."

The Dark Slayer growled. "Foolish boy! _I_ AM _YOUR_ FAMILY!"

"NO YOU'RE NOT!" shouted Nero. "See, that's your problem. You think that just because you found out that I'm your son, that you can go around telling me what to do! Well news flash, asshole. You don't! My friends have done more for me in a MONTH, than what you could ever do in a lifetime!"

"I said it before, and I'll say it again. You and I share blood. But that's it. Nothing's changed between you and me. I'm still going to kill you, and take vengeance, for my fiancée's murder!"

The Son of Sparda's glare became fiercer, as he gripped Yamato's scabbard tightly. "Foolish boy. You would die for them? Even if you managed to leave this planet, they would return to a world that considers them their enemy. They do not belong anywhere!"

"I don't care! Whether I'm there or not, they will make it. After all their suffering, they deserve a chance to live! A chance to live out their lives in piece! They deserve a second chance."

"And this... This is my second chance."

Nero got into a fighting stance, and readied his blade. "So in case you didn't hear me before, then maybe you'll understand this..."

Nero lifted his Devil Bringer, and raised his middle finger towards his father. "Bite me."

Vergil raised his head, looking at the Pulse l'Cie in disdain. "So you have resigned to your fate, I see..."

The Grandson of Sparda shrugged. "Looks like it."

After standing there for a few seconds, Vergil then crouched slowly, reaching for the hilt of Yamato.

"So be it... Die with the rest of your so-called "family!""

At the same time, both warriors clashed their swords against each other.

Their duel began once more.

Ch. 32: Vengeance

As Lightning and the others hurry after their friend, Nero and Vergil's duel begins. Will he be able to defeat Vergil? Can the seven l'Cie unite to defeat this powerful foe? Or will their journey together have an early end?

**AN: ****Now, I wanna discuss some details on my planned revisions for the beginnings of this fic.**

** I've been told that Nero is a bit Dante-esque in the beginning, and I agree with this criticism. Therefore, I'm completely REWRITING the beginning.**

**Think of it like a Director's Cut.**

** There seem to be various inconsistencies, such as the entry to Cocoon. I mean, a shooting star landing in Bodhum would be noticeable by anyone. And I feel that Nero did not truly interact as much as he could with the characters in the beginning. Also, in the Vestige, he should have had second thoughts on the two teens to stay back, but realize that he had no other choice. Finally, the whole "killing humans" factor. He should have at least thought about it before going through with it.**

**Nero will also have a more detailed intro, involving more characters from the DMC shop, as well as showing how Kyrie's loss has affected his behavior.**

**I'm going to add more details, such as Lightning vs the soldiers on the train, Nero vs the broken warmech, etc. I'm also giving Nero more interactions with the characters in the 13 Days before the Purge, and introducing Leunam properly. I will also be expanding upon his character a bit more.**

**So yeah, those are some things I intend to change. I will probably do them when I finish this fic, or when I'm not busy doing anything. I'll probably upload them all at once.**

**Also, I am announcing that in the future, I may ( and that's a BIG may) do a Xenosaga and Star Wars crossover and. I have it planned out a bit, but I need to put it in paper. So stay tuned for that.**

**Another fic I want to do is a Legend of Zelda Wind Waker and an Ed Edd n Eddy crossover. All I can say is that it's a childhood dream of mine that I would like to see.**

**As for Asura's Wrath Reborn... I may need a co-author to help me with the fic. So if you're a fan of that fic, and wanna help give me ideas, message me.**

**That's all I can think of for now...**

**Until we meet again... READ & REVIEW!**


	33. Vengeance

**Capcom and Square-Enix own DMC and FFXIII respectively. AN: Happy New Year, people!**

**OK, guys... I had the opportunity to meet Nero's voice actor, Johnny Yong Bosch! IT WAS SO COOL! I even asked him about how he felt about DmC. Apparently, he thinks that they made DmC Dante act a bit more like Nero, but then said that they made him look all emo, haha. Anyway, he hasn't played the game, so he couldn't really say whether he felt that it sucked or not. Just wanted to let you guys know, in case you were wondering how he felt about the reboot. Also, he said that being Nero was one of his favorite roles as a voice actor!**

**Now, onto the chapter.**

**Tracks: Dahaka-Test of the l'Cie; Vergil- Vergil Battle 2 (Original or UMvC3)**

Taejin's Tower- Vengeance

-Sixth Tier-

"THAT BASTARD!"

Lightning slammed her fist on the railing, as she and the others approached the shaft where Nero had taken the elevator.

Words could not describe the fury that she felt at that moment. Nero had attacked them when they were unguarded, and he took the elevator by himself. But that was the least of his crimes. What was worse was that he had lied to them, when he said that he was ready to face him, with them.

She felt betrayed. But overall, she felt hurt that one of the people she grew to trust could not trust her, or the others, in return.

"I feel you, Sunshine. I swear, when we meet up with him, I'm gonna shove my spear straight up his arse!" Fang supported.

Snow raised his hands defensively. "C'mon, guys. I mean, yeah, that was messed up, but I bet he had good intentions when he thought about that."

Both women sent a menacing glare at the man. "Okay, I'll shut up now..."

Sazh sighed, as he sat against the railing of the ramp. "That boy must really hate the man, if he's willing to go up there on his own. Can't imagine how he managed to hold it for this long."

Hope walked forward, and looked up at the shaft that led to the top. "I wonder if Vergil really is up there. He probably is, if Nero decided to leave without us."

Vanille walked to the side of him. Looking up at the shaft, she had a look of worry on her face. "But still..."

Then a small sound was heard. After a few seconds, another was heard, followed by several others. The group looked up, and from the shaft, heard the distant sounds of metal clashing against each other.

"Looks like it's already started," Sazh stated.

"Then that Vergil guy was waiting for us, after all," Snow concluded.

Fidgeting fearfully, Vanille snapped towards the group. "We need to go help him!"

The soldier quickly responded. "Just forget it, Vanille," she snapped. "It's obvious he doesn't want our help. So why bother?"

Gasping, the Pulsian girl looked at Lightning. "B- But Light... Why?"

"He's said it over and over again. He wants Vergil to himself," she responded. "There's nothing we can do about that."

"But that's no reason not to help..."

"She's right, Van," Fang said. "Nero doesn't want our help. Otherwise, he wouldn't have done what he did."

"But..." She looked at the other three l'Cie, and back to Fang. "But we can't just leave him here... We all said we were going to Oerba together."

Sighing Lightning looked away. "We did promise, Vanille... But Nero broke that promise, when he decided to head out on his own. Even after we forgave him, he still decided to leaves when he attacked. He doesn't want our help... So, we're not going to give it to him."

"BUT THAT'S NOT RIGHT!" Vanille suddenly shouted.

The group stared at her in bewilderment. Seeing their surprised looks made Vanille realize what she had done, so she laughed nervously.

"Sorry..." She then had a worried look. "It's just, I know he did something bad. But... Haven't we all done something foolish during our time together?"

"I mean, compared to Nero, I did something worse. I lied to all of you..."

"Vanille, we already talked about this. None of us blame you for lyin' like you did," assured the Huntress.

"But I lied to protect myself! Nero lied to us, because he wanted to protect us! He did it with the best of intentions!" she countered.

She looked pleadingly t everyone, hoping that someone would follow and add to her argument.

A boy's voice did. "I... I tried to kill Snow."

Everyone turned towards Hope. "Nero warned me beforehand. I thought Vergil and Snow were the same type of person, but he explained to me how they were different... And I didn't listen."

"When Snow apologized to me, one of the things I thought about was what Nero had said before. If Snow was anything like Vergil, he would've left me to die."

Hope looked at Vanille, and smiled. "I'm guilty of stupid things, too."

As Vanille returned the smile, Sazh spoke up. "Tried shootin' myself. Couldn't do it."

The l'Cie looked at the afro man, as the chocobo chick landed on his shoulder. He petted it, as he continued. "Lookin' back, I'm glad I didn't. Otherwise, I'd never have the chance to see my son again."

The Hero rubbed his neck guiltily. "Yeah... And me runnin' away from the fact that I messed up bad at the Purge ain't something that was very bright, either."

"One of many "somethings,"" Lightning shot out.

Snow only chuckled. "Sis, you've done some pretty stupid things yourself. Like trying to take down the Sanctum on your own?"

"Not to mention helping Hope try to kill Snow," Sazh added.

"I didn't... Look. I get it," she hissed.

Giggling at the soldier's expense, Vanille then turned to her friend. "And Fang, you tried to attack us when we decided that we were going to fight our Focus."

Groaning, Fang nodded her head. "Yeah... I'm guilty of that."

Nodding, Vanille continued. "But even after we made those mistakes, we all looked to each other to keep moving. And because of that, we've made it this far together."

She then looked up at the shaft. "Maybe... Maybe it's Nero's turn. And it's up to us to help him!"

Snow pounded his fists together. "I'm game! After all, heroes always help people who need it!"

Hope nodded. "Yeah. Nero's always had my back. I think it's about time I had his."

Sazh stood up, while the chocobo went back inside his afro. "So, I'm guessin' we're all decided, then?"

The four l'Cie then looked at the remaining two l'Cie. Fang had her right hand on her waist, and glanced at Lightning. The soldier still had her arms crossed, and stared away from the group.

"But what if he doesn't want it?" she asked. "What happens if he still doesn't want our help?"

Grinning, Fang walked over to the others. "Easy, Sunshine. We follow his example."

The others then looked at her as well, curious as to what she was referring to.

"We ignore the hell outta him, and give it anyway."

The others chuckled at her remark, while Lightning remained pensive.

A sound above her interrupted her thoughts. The six travelers looked up, and saw the elevator descending toward them, before slowing to a stop. The hatch opened to reveal the inside of the elevator, which was empty.

Lightning closely examined the elevator, but then turned to look at the group. Remembering that she had yet to respond, she briefly thought about it once more.

After a moment, she thought of her answer. Light looked back at the group, and nodded.

"Alright... Let's go save our idiot."

* * *

><p>-The Cloven Spire-<p>

A small bug crawled on the hard ground. It skittered a few inches forward, before stopping. The bug's pincer's skittered briefly, before looking up.

Then, a blade sliced through the insect, killing it instantly.

Nero and Vergil both swung at each other ferociously. The Pulse l'Cie raised his sword defensively, while the Sanctum l'Cie attacked from all sides, in an attempt to find an opening.

Vergil struck vertically to the left, and quickly unsheathed Yamato. He followed his attack, by striking Nero's Red Queen away from his face, unprotected. Just as quickly, he unsheathed his blade, and swung for the boy's face.

Nero saw this, and dodged the attack by rolling away from him. When he stood up again, he found that he had rolled to the edge of the chasm in the middle of the floor. He steadied his arms, as he tried not to fall in. He did not have to worry much, for Vergil roundhouse kicked him away from the edge with his left leg.

The devil hunter fell on his flat on his back, to the sight of Vergil pointing the tip of Yamato down to the boy's stomach. Reacting quickly, he rolled away as the O-Katana descended.

Nero held his sword defensively, as he watched the Son of Sparda pull his sword from the ground, and swiped it in the air to remove all residue.

"Impressive," he complimented. "You have adapted to my fighting style. I would even say at the rate your uncle did the first time."

Nero smirked. "Well, you're not exactly getting younger!"

"Not younger. Stronger."

The Dark Slayer rushed forward, with a Rapid Slash. Nero rolled to the side to avoid the onslaught. When the boy stood up, he saw that he was on the walkway that was in the center of the chasm.

Looking back at his opponent, Nero changed into a defensive stance. Vergil came forward, with Yamato gripped with both hands. The boy raised his blade to block the katana. Vergil swung to the left, but Nero deflected it. The boy then swung downwards, but Vergil parried it. He tried to counterattack, but Nero blocked it.

Both demonic l'Cie fought along the ramp, while heading towards the large circular platform in the center. When they reached it, Nero pushed Yamato away with the Red Queen, and jumped away from his father. In mid-air, Nero unholstered his Blue Rose pistol with his Bringer hand, and fired at the Son of Sparda. In retaliation, Vergil twirled his katana in a swift, circular motion that deflected the bullets.

Before either warrior could do anything else, the platform began to shake. Both opponents steadied themselves, as the platform ascended upwards.

When he regained his balance, Nero ran towards Vergil and fired a few rounds at him. Vergil ran towards Nero as well, slicing every bullet flying his way.

At the exact same time, both swordsmen clashed their blades together. Both pushed against the other in their sword lock, before stepping away. The Descendants of Sparda then swung repeatedly at the other. Nero attacked with hard, powerful strikes, while Vergil executed swift, precise ones. Sparks fluttered in the air as they ascended to the large platform above.

-Apex-

When it stopped, father and son kicked each other in the stomach, sending them back a few feet away. When he regained his balance, Nero turned his attention directly to the Dark Slayer. He saw that Vergil was eyeing him as well. The Sanctum l'Cie slowly sheathed his O-Katana, but held his sheath in a tense stance. Nero only tightened his grip on his custom durandal sword.

The Descendants of Sparda circled around each other, waiting for the other to make the move. Vergil tightened his grip on Yamato as he crouched. Nero, however, slowly charged demonic energy into his disfigured arm.

Both devils stared at the other harshly, before unsheathing their respective weapons.

Nero unholstered his Blue Rose pistol, and fired two bullets charged with demonic energy. His opponent quickly unsheathed Yamato, and deflected both oncoming projectiles. While they flew, however, the former knight sprinted towards his father. Noticing his son coming towards him, Vergil managed to raise his blade to stop the oncoming strike from the Red Queen.

Both swords pushed against the other with the might of their furious owners. Sparks shot out where both blades made contact. Nero snarled at Vergil with gritted teeth, while Vergil merely scowled.

They were interrupted, however, when a loud screech came within earshot. They quickly pulled away from each other and looked upwards. Descending before them was the large skull-faced fal'Cie, Dahaka. It roared at the two combatant l'Cie in fury.

"Now of all times!" Nero hissed.

Vergil glanced at his son. "I take it that you and your cohorts dealt with this along the way?"

The demon hunter snapped at the Son of Sparda. "Of course! Stupid thing kept getting in our way. But the moving statues attacked it instead of us. This thing's tail got cut off, so it should be weaker."

As soon as he finished his sentence, the top of the spires surrounding the platform began to illuminate in a blue hue. Looking closely, Nero realized that the objects that were glowing blue were crystals that were positioned at the top of the outer pillars.

Suddenly, streams of energy shot at the fal'Cie. Both demon hybrids watched as the fal'Cie was powered once again. The boy then noticed that the skull face was tilting upwards. As it lifted slowly, something else caught his attention. A long appendage was rising from beneath the skull. He quickly learned, however, that the appendage was actually a neck. The long, green, scaly neck rose upwards to reveal Dahaka's true face. It had gold armor covering the top of its face, which had a red jewel in the center of it, as well as five spikes pointing backwards in different directions. Its snout was white, while its eyes were crimson red. Stretching out its two arms, Dahaka howled at the two l'Cie while six fins stretched out of its back. Three were on the the left, and three were on the right.

"Instead of "weaker," perhaps the better word to describe your result would be "angrier,"" Vergil chided.

"Shut up!" Nero raged, as he swung his Red Queen at the other l'Cie.

Vergil swatted the blade way with his sheath. But in that brief skirmish, Dahaka decided to make the first move. Blue energy flowed through the fal'Cie's hands, and when it charged completely, it flung the energy towards the two demon l'Cie.

Both Nero and Vergil looked up and saw a Fira spell speeding towards them, and quickly jumped away in response. As they both regained their composure, Dahaka swung its large right claw at the two. They did not have enough time to dodge, and received the full blow of the Viper's claw. Father and son were forced back, as Dahaka fired a Thunder spell after it swiped at them.

"Damn it!" Nero cursed.

"It would appear that this creature sees us both as its enemies," observed the Son of Sparda.

"You don't say?" Nero remarked sarcastically as he stood up.

Vergil twirled his sword as he glared at the fal'Cie. "Then it is safe to assume that this beast is getting in the way of our duel, and that it will not stop until we are both exterminated."

Nero had a wary look in his eyes. "What're you sayin'?"

"I'm not saying. I'm _telling_ you that we are going to unite in order to dispose of this being," Vergil ordered.

The boy quickly turned towards the Dark Slayer. "Are you kidding me? I don't need your help to take this thing down!"

Vergil scoffed. "As amusing as it would be to watch you defeat the fal'Cie with your own power, you forget that you and I are running out of time. You are only valuable to me alive, so it would not be convenient for me."

Nero narrowed his eyes at him. "What do you mean-"

He barely managed to roll away, as Dahaka swiped for him again. When he got to his feet, Nero was standing meters away from his father.

"That is not important. The dilemma that needs to be dealt with, is this foul creature. The chances of killing it, as well as your chances of survival, are greater in the scenario that we both combine our might."

Nero growled when he heard his explanation. Out of all of the things that he heard, the only claim that he knew for certain was that the Viper would die faster if he and Vergil joined forces.

He didn't like it, but he had to agree with him.

"Alright," he consented. "But don't think anything changes after this. As soon as it's dead, I'm gunning for you next!"

The Dark Slayer gripped his O-Katana tightly. "Agreed."

The Viper shifted its eyes at both demonic l'Cie, and howled at them with ferocious intent. Electricity trickled through its hands, as it readied another spell.

Vergil caught on to the act. "Get it's attention, now!"

"What? Since when did you get to call the shots?" Nero asked defiantly.

"The moment I noticed a possible opening. Now get it to attack you, so that I can exploit this weakness!"

Nero sent his father one angry glare, before relenting begrudgingly. He then looked up at the fal'Cie.

"Hey, you ugly ass fal'Cie!" he called.

Dahaka trained its eyes on the young demon hybrid. Nero ran his left thumb over his neck, and then pointed it downwards.

"Yeah, that's right! I'm talkin' to you! You scum!" he provoked.

Narrowing its eyes at him, Dahaka snarled in reply. Angered by his remarks, the fal'Cie flung Thundara spells from its claws. Taking notice of the attack, Nero dove to the side, and rolled away from the spells.

Vergil, however, decided to use the distraction to his advantage. Running forward, he jumped into the air. Vergil soared upwards, until he was in front of the Viper's face. Lifting his thumb to push Yamato's handle upwards, the Dark Slayer unsheathed his sword, and struck the fal'Cie in the face. Dahaka roared in pain from the attack.

Yet, there was more to come. Vergil swung his sword left and right placing two large gashes on the fal'Cie's face. He then raised his sword and brought it down twice to deliver two heavy strikes onto the fal'Cie. To finish his assault, he quickly sheathed his katana, only to unsheathe it again to release a wave of circular spheres. The spheres cut into the fal'Cie's flesh. Dahaka could not contain its cries, as it was attacked by Vergil's Judgement Cut.

Nero looked up at the fal'Cie, and decided to attack from there. Charging up his Devil Bringer, he fired salvos of Water and Blizzard spells at the fal'Cie. When he finished, he jumped into the air, and swing his Red Queen downwards, while enveloping the blade in Blizzard energy. He struck the Viper with a downwards Froststrike Splitter.

When he touched the ground, Vergil shot spells of his own. From his palm shot out blasts of Ruin and Aero. To further damage it, he sent out spectral Summoned Swords to circle the creature, which then impaled themselves onto its skin.

Angered by the constant attacks, Dahaka howled at the l'Cie. Both father and son watched, as the fal'Cie dipped its head. The skull mask on its back appeared, and shockingly, opened its mouth. Inside, dark orange energy swelled up, as sparks jutted out in random directions. Finally, the skull shot the spell, Foul Utterance, at the Descendants of Sparda.

Both Nero and Vergil took the brunt of the attack. Quickly, as the fal'Cie's neck was returning to its original position, they let the regenerative energies of Cura spells envelop their bodies, increasing the speed of their healing factor.

The former knight reached for the handle of his durandal, and twisted it, which revved up the engine on the blade, and covered the blade with flammable propellant. Nero then ran forward, holding his blade in a reverse grip. When he was close enough, he swung his Red Queen upwards, an arc of searing flames following it. However, the flames protruding from the Exceed engine on the Red Queen propelled him upwards. Spinning, the devil hunter slashed at the fal'Cie, all the way up to its neck.

As Dahaka felt the fire sting its skin, Nero continued his assault. He attacked the fal'Cie with a downwards swipe to the left, followed by an upwards strike to the right. He then ended it with a spinning swipe that struck the creature's mouth, thus performing a Roulette Spin.

Meanwhile, Vergil had teleported up to the Viper's snout using his Air Trick ability. Appearing in a blue blur, Vergil unsheathed Yamato, and spun in mid-air with his sword extended, landing several hits on the fal'Cie. The Dark Slayer then swung his blade downwards, and then slashed upwards.

At the same time, both father and son pointed their respective blades to the ground, and with a cry from each warrior, they brought their swords downwards. Red Queen roasted the skin of Dahaka as it was brought down, while the Yamato left a large gash in its wake.

As both devils landed onto the platform, theirs caught a grinding sound. Nero and Vergil looked up, to see that the fins on Dahaka's sides were going inside the large shell on its lower body. The Viper narrowed its eyes at the two l'Cie furiously, while concentrating a mass of dark, orange energy.

Vergil sensed the immensity of the oncoming attack, and realized that dodging it was an impossibility. In response, the Son of Sparda twirled his scabbard, and held it to his side, causing a shield of purple demonic energy to cover him.

Noticing the man's actions, Nero transformed into his Level One Devil Trigger. The Devil Spirit appeared in front of him and crossed its arms, while he did the same.

Both Descendants of Sparda braced themselves for the Fulminous Firestorm.

-The Cloven Spire-

The elevator inched upwards, before coming to a complete halt. The hatch opened, to reveal six l'Cie inside. They quickly rushed out of the elevator, with weapons in hand. Each one of the l'Cie looked at their surroundings, trying to spot their comrade.

"Any sign of him?" Lightning called.

The Pulsian Huntress looked across the gap of the area, but saw nothing. "Negative. Nothin' but a bunch of nothin'."

Vanille fidgeted in worry. "Where could Nero be?" She then looked up at the platform above them. "Could he be up ther-"

Suddenly, a large explosion of energy came from the platform, a roar of triumph following it.

The six travelers looked up in awe, as the fal'Cie, Dahaka, came into view.

"I'm willing to bet that he's up there," Sazh stated.

-Apex-

Nero, who had reverted back to his regular form, panted heavily as he kneeled on the ground. The Samurai Avatar did not hold out for long, and some of the attack managed to hurt him considerably. The Grandson of Sparda looked to his side, and saw that his father was relatively unhurt. His shield had managed to hold out, leaving him completely unscathed.

Vergil slicked his hair backwards, for some locks became disheveled after the blast. When he finished, his eyes opened to reveal a menacing glare.

"I have just about had it with you, fal'Cie."

He then reached for Yamato. As he unsheathed it, blue thunder struck him, and from it came the form of Vergil's Devil Trigger. In moments, Yamato was surrounded by blue demonic aura. Vergil then disappeared in a blue blur.

The Dark Slayer then reappeared before the Viper's face. He struck Dahaka with horizontal strike to the left, followed by one to the right. Then his attacks became faster with each hit. As he landed hit after hit, Summoned Swords appeared around the fal'Cie, appearing after Vergil's attack. Every hit caused Dahaka to recoil left and right. Vergil attacked Dahaka to the point where Summoned Swords surrounded the fal'Cie from all sides.

Vergil Air Tricked back to the ground, and reverted back to his human form. He twirled Yamato slowly, and sheathed it in the same manner. When it clicked, all of the Summoned Swords shot at the fal'Cie. The screeches that came from the Viper where at a pitch that caused Nero to cover his ears. The pain was so unbearable, that the fal'Cie could no longer stay afloat. Dahaka's arms went limp, before its entire body fell forward, landing on the platform below.

Realizing that its final moments had arrived, both demon hybrids rushed forward with swords drawn. Nero dragged his Red Queen on the ground as he ran for the right side of Dahaka's face. Vergil had his right arm extended with Yamato in hand, as he raced towards the left side of the fal'Cie's face.

Nero swung his durandal downwards, following his strike with another vertical slash, and another. Then, he raised his blade again, and brought it down with all of his strength, and then struck him again. He repeatedly slammed his Red Queen down onto the face of Dahaka. Finally, he plunged the tip of his blade into the red eye of the fal'Cie.

Vergil, meanwhile, attacked the Viper with a salvo of furious swipes. So fast were they, that Dahaka did not recoil from the hits fast enough. Then, Vergil twirled Yamato, before lunging the tip of the O-Katana into Dahaka's left eye.

When both blades pierced the Viper's eye sockets, its howls of pain reached high volumes once more.

Deciding to end the fal'Cie's pain, both warriors tore their respective weapons from it. They then jumped into the air. Nero revved his Red Queen, and pointed it downwards. Vergil twirled his blade as he fell. Both father and son then landed on top of the Dahaka's forehead, and at the exact same time, pierced the red jewel on its forehead with both the Red Queen and Yamato. The fal'Cie's howls were silenced as they penetrated.

Nero and Vergil pulled their weapons out of Dahaka's head, and jumped off of it. Nero landed in a crouch, while Vergil landed on his feet.

Then, Dahaka screeched loudly in pain. Blue energy enveloped the fal'Cie as it slowly began to rise.

-The Cloven Spire-

Dahaka screeched loudly, until it dissipated in the air, fading away from existence forever.

Snow let out a triumphant cheer, while pumping a fist in the air. "Yeah! Nero did it!"

Hope smiled, while Vanille giggled. Sazh's chocobo chirped happily, and fluttered around his head.

Light, and Fang had more apprehensive looks on their faces.

"Let's not forget that he had help," reminded the soldier.

The afro pilot nodded. "Yep. And from the look of things, I'd say it was unwanted help."

Before anyone responded, a bright flash appeared before them. When the light subsided, three of the Menhirrim stood before the six l'Cie. The middle one spoke to them in its ancient language.

Vanille giggled. "They're saying, "Thanks to both Descendants of Sparda, the Viper has been slayed. We are now finally free." I guess it wants to thank Nero."

Lightning looked up at the statues curiously. "Don't they know that Nero isn't with us?"

Fang shrugged. "Who knows. But for now, they're saying that they plan to go throughout Gran Pulse, and "fight evil where ever it may be.""

Hearing this, the Hero could not help but laugh. "Hey, kinda sounds like us. We're fighting to change our fate, and stop the evil fal'Cie."

Light looked up at the platform. "Stopping evil, huh?"

-Apex-

Nero sighed in relief. The fal'Cie was dead, and it would no longer bother him.

Vergil merely remained silent. He then swiped Yamato to remove any residue off of its metal surface, before slowly sheathing it with a click.

His eyes then turned to Nero.

The boy was taking a quick breather, before looking back at his father. Noticing the menacing glare from him, he quickly realized that their partnership had come to an end.

Not that it bothered him though.

Nero slowly stood up from the ground, with Red Queen in hand. Vergil and Nero then began to circle one another. They each walked around the center twice, before stopping.

Nero gripped his durandal with both hands, and revved the blade up once.

Vergil tightly gripped his scabbard, while flicking his thumb up to slightly unsheathe his O-Katana.

Nero revved up the Red Queen again, taking it to the second Exceed level.

Vergil's right hand slowly tightened over the handle of Yamato.

Both warriors stood in silence, with only the sounds of the wind and the Red Queen's engine sputtering.

Nero revved his Red Queen one last time, while Vergil unsheathed Yamato. Finally, father and son charged at each other.

Nero dragged his flaming Red Queen along the floor of the platform, and swung upwards. Vergil blocked the attack with Yamato, but the arc of fire got into his eyes and blinded him.

When the Dark Slayer recovered, he was met with the sight of his son bringing his sword down on him. Vergil raised Yamato, and stopped the Red Queen from hurting him. However, he was caught off guard, when he was suddenly pushed backwards.

Nero ran forward, pushing his father to the edge of the platform. Vergil could only run backwards, as he tried not to lose his balance. He briefly looked over his shoulder, and saw that he was running out of room to run in.

With great strength, Vergil planted his feet firmly on the ground, right at the edge of the platform.

Nero pushed against his father's resistance, as Vergil did the same. Gripping Yamato with both hands, the Son of Sparda pushed against his opponent's might, desperately trying to remain on the platform. Both he and his son snarled at each other in ferocity. Neither was giving the other the advantage.

"NERO!" shouted a voice from below.

Said man blinked in surprise. "Vanille?" He looked down below, saw that the girl, as well as the other l'Cie, were looking up at him

Vergil noticed his distraction, and capitalized on it. "Never take your eyes off of the enemy!"

He jabbed his left elbow into Nero's face, forcing the young l'Cie to stumble backwards. His father wasted no time going back to the offensive. He swiped at Nero with the Yamato, while the boy barely defended himself by parrying with one hand holding the Red Queen.

-The Cloven Spire-

The group watched in horror, as they watched their friend get attacked while he was not looking.

Vanille gasped. "Oh no! He's in trouble!"

Frantically, Snow looked around the area, but was met with no possible way to find their friend.

"Damn it!" he cursed. "How are we supposed to get up there, when there's no other way?"

Lightning frowned at the turn of events that occurred. If they could not rind a way to get up there, then Nero's chances of survival would be very low, if he ended up in the worst case scenario.

She then looked up at the floating Menhirrim. If only they had the ability to float, then they would easily be able to float to the top...

Lightning mentally berated herself for not realizing it sooner.

She quickly addressed Fang. "Fang, do you think you can convince the statues to take us up to the platform?"

Hope and Sazh both glanced at the soldier with incredulous looks on their faces.

"Crazy soldier say what, now?" said Sazh.

Fang, however, only smirked. "Now you're thinkin' like a Pulsian."

-Apex-

Nero stumbled backwards, as he deflected another swipe from the Yamato. Each strike from the demonic O-Katana slowly lessened Nero's grip on his sword.

Then, after an upward strike, the Red Queen finally flew out his hand. The blade spun wildly in the air, before impaling itself onto the floor a few feet away.

The former knight rolled onto the ground to avoid the slash that was aimed at his neck, and ran to retrieve his durandal. He stopped, however, when Vergil Air Tricked in front of him, and pointed Yamato's tip to his neck.

Quickly, he unholstered his Blue Rose pistol, and fired at the Son of Sparda. Unfortunately, Vergil deflected the bullets with his katana. Noticing that his face was unprotected, Nero swung a right hook Vergil's face, which was followed by a Spectral Bringer. Vergil saw what his son attempted to do, and rolled underneath the spectral apparition.

Crouching behind Nero, Vergil struck him behind his legs with Yamato. The boy screamed, as the pain from the hit forced him to fall on his knees. Before he had the opportunity to get up, Vergil swatted him in the face with his scabbard.

Nero was on his back, as Vergil approached him. He raised his pistol, and fired at the half-demon. Vergil swiped the bullets away, and then kicked the Blue Rose out of Nero's hand. He then kicked Nero to force him back into the ground.

Suddenly, Nero's left arm was pinned down by Vergil's right foot, while his Devil Bringer was held down by the man's left hand.

Before Nero even realized it, Vergil had impaled Nero's stomach with Yamato.

The boy let a small gasp as he felt the pain in his stomach. Gritting his teeth, the boy tried his hardest not to scream. However, Vergil then twisted the blade in his stomach.

No longer able to bear it, Nero let out a loud cry of pain that could be heard for miles.

Vergil's eyes showed no remorse, and where indifferent to his son's cries. "Now the ritual can begin."

Electricity flowed from Vergil's hand and down to Yamato. The current went down to Nero's stomach, causing to tense up in pain.

Ensuring that his son was paralyzed, Vergil explained. "You will notice that underneath you, lies a large symbol of Pulse."

The paralyzed l'Cie glanced towards his left, and saw the black markings beneath him. He also noticed that there were small sockets across them.

"There are small pipes along it, that lead to another, larger pipe. That pipe leads to the bottom of the tower. Recall that there was a large crystal at the base. It powers every mechanism in here, including the process on how to remove the l'Cie mark. In order to activate it, the blood of a l'Cie must given. Pulse l'Cie blood to be exact."

Nero's eyes shot open after hearing this.

"That is right, Nero. That is the reason I needed you. Your blood is the catalyst that activates the procedure. Had you cooperated with me from the beginning, I would have allowed you to participate in the procedure with less drastic measures."

The eldest Son of Sparda's eyes narrowed darkly, before twisting Yamato, and releasing another cry from Nero's mouth.

"But you forced my hand."

Nero gritted his teeth. "I- It's not gonna work!"

"Sparda was able to free himself. I see no reason as to why I would not be able to do otherwise," he reasoned.

The man's gaze slightly softened. "However, I will not deny the fact that you fought valiantly. Impressively, I might add. Therefore, I will grant you the mercy of knowing your friends will be spared from my blade."

As quickly as it left, his cold glare returned. "Unfortunately... This is the end for you, my son."

Nero gasped in pain, as the demonic katana cut deeper into his flesh. His eyes fell backwards, his eyelids covering his irises. Slowly, his vision blackened, as his body began to fell numb...

Suddenly, a bright flash of light caused his vision to return.

Vergil looked up, and was faced with a large, floating statue, with a stone sword. It swung its sword and, to his shock, sent a vertical wave of energy towards him.

Reacting quickly, Vergil pulled Yamato out of Nero's stomach, eliciting a cry of pain from the boy.

The Son of Sparda swung the blade to the right, to connect with the energy wave. It did, but the force of the attack forced him backwards. His boots skidded across the ground, as he pushed against the wave.

Finally, with a final tug, Vergil swiped the wave to the side, where it dispersed into the distance.

Then, before he even knew it, a bullet hit him in the forehead. The force of the hit made him stumble backwards. Disbelief etched in his face, as he tried to decipher how it was that the bullet got to him without him knowing it.

Nero was on all fours, as he pushed himself to his knees. Suddenly, he felt his wounds heal quickly, as a green aura enveloped him.

"What was it that you said before?" shouted a female voice. "That I was never going to land a hit on you again?"

The boy's eyes widened, as he recognized the voice. Looking behind him, he was met with the sight of Lightning approaching, with Blazefire Saber in one hand, and the Red Queen in the other. She tossed it to the ground near the former knight. Behind her were three Menhirrim. The one that had attacked was in the middle, while the other two were helping the other l'Cie onto the ground.

Vergil growled in anger, as he removed the bullet from his forehead.

"You..." he hissed, as he glared at the soldier.

Standing up from his position, Nero watched as the others finally made it onto the platform. The three Menhirrim then disappeared in a bright flash.

"Thank you!" Vanille called.

The part demon covered his eyes from the blinding light of the statues. When he could see again, Nero instantly regretted it. Staring right back at him were the friends that he had left behind.

He met all of their eyes briefly. Most of the group had relieved expressions on their face, save for Fang and Lightning.

Nero looked away from the six l'Cie. "What are you guys doing here?"

The hero grinned, as he patted the part-demon's shoulder. "What's it look like? We're here to help you face your dad-"

Nero instantly pulled away from the man, with a furious scowl on his face.

"Why!?" he blurted. "Why the hell did you come back for me!?"

Hope instantly frowned. "Because we were worried about you. You left so suddenly."

"I did it so that Vergil wouldn't get to you guys!" he countered. "You guys had the perfect opportunity to get to Oerba, and you wasted it by coming back for me!"

"Of course we did!" Vanille protested. "We came back because we all promised to go to Oerba together! That means you too!"

Sazh spoke up. "Nero, there's no need for you to act all hostile to us. We're just trying to help."

"I didn't ask for your help!" he countered. "Damn it, this is my fight! Vergil's is my problem to deal with! So stop trying to get in my busi-"

Lightning's fist collided with Nero's cheek. The force was strong enough to send him to the ground.

The former soldier stood over him, and finally told him off. "You lost the right to have a say in this, the moment you decided to leave us!"

The former knight was about to respond, but Fang cut him off. "Yeah. And you're one to talk Nero, considerin' you've butted into everyone's business uninvited."

The boy's snarl instantly fell.

"You've gotten involved with Hope's problems, me and Vanille's problems. Heck, your arse even got involved with Snow and Sunshine's dispute! Did any of us ask you for your help? No. Yet you give it anyway."

She shrugged. "We're just following your example, Pretty Boy."

Lightning spoke again. "Plus, you're not the only one who has a score to settle with your dad. He nearly killed me the last time we met."

"He also messed up our landing when we got here. Nearly got us all killed," Snow added.

The Pulsian girl looked at the demonic l'Cie sadly. "And for what he did to Dante..."

Nero looked down away in thought, as Lightning spoke. "So whether you like it or not, we're staying right here!"

The Descendant of Sparda looked at all of his friends. Once more, he felt guilt well up inside his chest.

"But I don't-"

"I already told you," Light interrupted. "You have no say in this!"

Nero sighed. "It's just... I don't want you guys to get hurt."

The tension in the air eased slowly, as the group looked at the part demon.

"Are you done?"

The seven Pulse l'Cie turned their attention to the lone Sanctum l'Cie that stood a few feet away. He had not moved an inch, and merely watched the entire scene unfold.

"Your personal issues are yours alone to discuss. Therefore, I would prefer that you waste your own time in dealing with them; not mine."

"That being said, you fools would dare challenge a Son of Sparda?" he questioned.

Fang walked forward. "Challenge you? If anything, you've been challenging us!"

"Yeah! Ever since we've met you, all you've been trying to do is get us killed!" the Hero supplied.

Vergil scoffed. "That is only because you fools happen to be there when you are not supposed to. Just like you are now."

Lightning raised her Blazefire Saber, and pointed it towards the Dark Slayer. "You're wrong. We're right where we need to be."

Vanille nodded. "Yeah! And that's right here, helping Nero beat you!"

Hearing this, Vergil took a few steps forward. "Is that so? And what reason would you have to do that? It will only lead to your demise, as well as the end for any hope of saving your beloved Cocoon."

"Y-you're wrong!" corrected Hope, albeit with a shaky voice.

The Son of Sparda glanced at him. "Is that so? I seem to recall that you failed to do anything in our previous encounter. Where it not for the woman's interference, you would not be standing now. How am I wrong, boy?"

Nero watched, as the boy's hands mildly shook. He assumed it was out of fear. Yet his answer got the man's attention.

"Yeah, you're right. I didn't do anything. I was so afraid at what I saw and what you did. The only thing I could do is tackle you, but even that was stupid. That could have easily gotten me killed."

"I won't lie; I'm still afraid of you. Knowing what you can do terrifies me. But you know what? I don't have to face you alone. Everyone here is with me. That alone makes it easier for me to face you."

The chocobo chick chirped in agreement. "The little guy agrees with you, Hope," Sazh observed.

Vanille smiled in agreement. "Yeah! Together, we can do it!"

Lightning gave a small smile, before glaring at Vergil. "So if you want to try and hurt us, you'd better be ready to face all of us."

She turned to Nero. "And that includes you."

The man in question looked at the soldier with a surprised look. He then looked around at his comrades. Each of them had confident smiles on their faces as they looked back at him.

Sighing, Nero closed his eyes in resignation. "You're not gonna let this go, are you?"

"Like you said before, we're a pretty stubborn group," replied the Pulsian woman.

He could not help but smile from hearing her words. "In that case, I've got one thing to say..."

His smile fell, while his eyes opened to reveal a fierce glare. Gripping the Red Queen tightly, he twirled in his hands before getting into a fighting stance.

"Don't hold anything back!"

Following after him, the six l'Cie readied themselves for battle. Vergil, however, remained still.

"I see. So that is your decision then..."

The Dark Slayer then placed his scabbard on his waist. He then raised his arms.

"However, seven on one seems a bit unfair. Allow me, then, to even the odds."

Suddenly, Vergil pounded his fists together. When they connected, a bright light surrounded his arms and legs. When the light subsided, the Beowulf gauntlets and grieves were on his arms and feet.

"Much better," he spoke. "Since all of you have decided to throw your lives away, I may as well use your blood for the ritual. Once that is finished, I will have no use for any of you."

The pilot gave a nervous laugh. "Heh, it's funny. For a moment there, he sounded like he literally wanted a piece of us."

"That because he does," Nero answered. "He was trying to squeeze out most of my blood before you guys came."

The afro man gulped. "Good to know."

Fang smirked. "And you said you didn't need our help."

Nero decided to ignore the remark, focusing only on the Son of Sparda as he got into a fighting stance.

"Just remember to hold nothing back. Give it everything you've got!"

Then, Nero charged forward, with the other l'Cie close behind.

Nero swung his blade at Vergil, but the Dark Slayer countered by punching the blade away with his gauntlet. Nero swung the Red Queen to the left, but Vergil sent a left hook to block it. Using the momentum of his punch, Vergil spun around to send his son away with a kick to the stomach.

The Son of Sparda went on the defensive again, as Lightning struck at him. She brought her Saber down on him, but he deflected it with his right gauntlet. Light spun from the force of the block, and she used the momentum to strike him at his side. The attempt was futile, as the Sanctum l'Cie swatted it away with his left gauntlet. He then went on the offensive, by attacking the soldier with a left straight punch. Light arched backwards to avoid the punch, and did it again when the man swung a right hook at her. The soldier saw the man spinning for a left kick, and ducked underneath his leg. She did not see his other leg, however, and Vergil's right foot connected with her face.

She used the force of the hit to spin around, and kick the half-demon in the ribs. Noticing that the he had been caught of guard, Lightning used the opportunity to swipe her gunblade at the swordsman. The blade sliced his neck, and Vergil stepped away from her. He touched the blood that escaped from the cut, as it healed. He looked at his the crimson liquid, then at the soldier. Angrily, he brought his right arm ready to charge forward, when a pair of hands grabbed his arms.

Snow pulled Vergil backwards, and punched him in the face with his left fist. He followed with a right straight punch, but the Dark Slayer blocked with his left forearm and retaliated with a right hook to the Hero's face. Vergil swung at him again, but Snow instead rushed under him, and tried to tackle him. The half-demon caught him however, and instead lifted him upwards. Vergil dropped backwards, and suplexed Snow to the ground. He quickly stood up and sent his fist down towards Snow's face, only to miss after the man rolled away. Vergil then jumped forward, and spun forward, with his right leg extended. He then flew over Snow, and dropped his leg towards him, intending to crush him with the Lunar Phase.

Fang, however, stopped his leg's descent with her Bladed Lance, and pushed it away. Snow got up, and stood next to her. Both l'Cie rushed towards the half-demon.

Snow kicked Vergil with a straight kick, but the action was done by the other man as well. As Snow stumbled backwards, Fang came forward and swung her lance, only for Vergil to grab it, and pulled at it. Fang resisted, and held onto her Bladed Lance. Thinking quickly, she separated both halves of the lance, which caught the Son of Sparda off balance. She then headbutted him, while letting go of her weapon. Vergil stumbled backwards, and before he knew it, Snow had grabbed the half-demons arms, putting them into a lock. The Huntress quickly ran to the Dark Slayer, and pulled both halves from his hands as he struggled to get free. She then connected both halves again, and impaled the top part of the lance into Vergil's stomach.

Furious, Vergil tore his right arm away from Snow's lock, and elbowed him right in the face. He then grabbed Snow's other arm, and threw Snow at Fang, making her lose her grip on her weapon. The Dark Slayer tore the lance off of his stomach, and stormed toward the two fallen l'Cie. He twirled the Bladed Lance, before preparing to impale Fang. However, hooks latched onto his arm before he could.

Looking at the lines connected, he saw the the hooks came from Vanille's Binding Rod. The girl was currently pulling on her rod to keep Vergil's arm from impaling Fang. Hope was also helping her pull.

The Sanctum l'Cie was pulling away from the hooks, when he heard a battle cry approaching him. He looked around, only to be met with the bottom of Nero's boots drop-kicking him in the face. The force of the hit caused Vergil to lose his grip on Fang's Bladed Lance, and for the hooks of Vanille's Binding Rod to tear away from his arm.

The Dark Slayer fell backwards, but rolled back to a crouch, with Yamato in hand. Nero notices, and begins running for his father.

Lightning realizes what is about to occur. "Everyone, get ready! His attack cuts from long distances!"

Vergil quickly unsheathed his sword three times. Suddenly, a large purple sphere appeared Sazh, who jumped away in shock.

Seeing what the soldier had meant, everyone began to scatter to avoid the Judgement Cut. Hope and Vanille both ran forward, before separating from each other from a sphere that came between them. Lightning jumped forward, and rolled away from one that came from behind. Sazh hurriedly ran forward, but stopped short of one appearing before him. He fell on his rear, before crawling backwards, and getting up to run. Snow jumped away from a sphere, before he felt a pain on his back. He fell forward to avoid the rest of the sphere. Fang rushed over to him, and helped him up She used Cura on his back, before running off with him.

Nero kept running towards Vergil. Any sphere that got in his way was avoid when he slid to the side in a black aura. He continued Table Hopping, before he jumped into the air, and brought his Red Queen down on his father. Vergil saw him, and blocked the Split with Yamato.

The Judgement Cut had ended, and both Nero and Vergil were locked in a stalemate.

"I'm disappointed in you," Vergil said suddenly. "You've let me down, Nero."

"Shut the fuck up!" Nero shouted, before pushing him away.

Nero sheathes his sword, as does his father. The former knight then sends a straight punch at his father, but Vergil kicks it away with his left leg. He then quickly spins around, and kicks Nero into the air with his left heel. Vergil went up with him, and kicked him in the face with his right leg. Nero feel into the ground, while charged downwards with his left leg extended. He charged towards Nero with his Starfall, and landed straight on the boy's chest. The air in Nero's lungs were pushed out from the impact.

Then, two bullets hit Vergil's back. Looking over his shoulder, he spots the afro man pointing his two Vega 42s at him. The man gave him a nervous smile, before firing again. The Dark Slayer unsheathed Yamato, and twirled the blade in a circular motion. As the bullets reached the katana, the chocobo chick suddenly hovered in front of the half-demon. The chick pecked him twice in the face, as Sazh fired four Magic Shots at his chest.

Frustrated, Vergil was about to snatch the bird from his face, when the hooks from before latched onto his arm. Vergil gripped the rope, and with all of his might, pulled it.

Vanille was instantly sent flying towards the Dark Slayer, while Hope only fell forward. When the girl was close enough, Vergil roundhouse kicked her in the face. She skidded away from him, unconscious.

"VANILLE!" Fang shouted in shock. Her eyes instantly glared at Nero's father.

Hope quickly ran to the girl, which only increased his worry when he saw her state.

"Vanille, wake up!" he pleaded.

Vergil finally grabbed the chocobo chick, and was about to crush it, when he felt two hands grab his boot. Looking down, he saw that Nero was attempting to push his leg off of his chest. In his moment of distraction, Sazh tackled him, thus relinquishing his hold on Nero and the chick.

"Leave that bird alone!" Sazh demanded, as he pushed against the half-demon.

Vergil responded, by slamming his elbow onto the man's back. He then grabbed the man's sides, and threw him at Nero, who had just gotten off of the ground.

He then he a cry from above. He looks up, but before he even realizes it, Fang impales Vergil in the chest.

She smirks in satisfaction. "Gotcha-"

Before she finishes, Vergil turns around and slams her into the ground while she holds her weapon. He pulls the weapon from his chest, and unsheathed Yamato. Before she can react, the Son of Sparda impales the O-Katana into her left shoulder, and just as quickly pulls it out. The Huntress cried out in pain, covering the bleeding wound on her shoulder. Vergil twirled his sword in preparation for the kill, but was sent flying forward by Ruinga.

The half-demon looked behind him, and saw Hope Estheim.

The man only shook his head. "How foolish of you, boy, to put your fate in the hands of my blade."

Hope, however, had a defiant look on his face. "Unfortunately for you, I decide my fate!"

His l'Cie mark shone with a white glow, before eight white spheres surrounded him. The spells flew up into the air, before firing down towards the Dark Slayer. Vergil Air Tricked to the side to avoid the spell. But, to his surprise, the spell explode in a white burst of energy, forcing him to the ground. Then, the seven other spells hit Vergil directly, engulfing him in a burst of white flames.

As the Last Resort subsided, Vergil Staggered to his feet. Lightning rushed towards her opponent. She swiped her sword to the right, and spun around twice, before kicking him in the chest. Light then struck him left and right, before spinning away, and firing her gunblade at his forehead. She then jumped backwards, and hit the back of his head with her toes. When she landed, she hit him in the stomach with her left heel, and struck him from the left. Gripping her blade tightly, she did a spinning slash that caused the man to turn around.

After dealing with the Army of One, Vergil was met with the sight of his son, with the Devil Spirit behind him, sending his fist into his face. The Devil Spirit followed suit, and the blow sent the Dark Slayer skidding.

Vergil slammed his fist to the ground. When he rose, a look of utter fury was etched onto his face. The Son of Sparda then let out a loud roar, as demonic aura quickly enveloped him.

His eyes had a menacing glint in them, as he was surrounded by a large purple sphere.

"This I promise," he hissed. "You will not forget this devil's power!"

He then Devil Triggered, and disappeared in a blue blur.

Vergil appeared before Sazh, as the afro man had a look of fear in his eyes. The demonic swordsman then sent a punch to the man's abdomen, which caused him to spit out blood. Vergil then slammed his elbow onto the man's back, and sent Sazh to the ground.

Vergil merely scoffed. **"You are not worthy as my opponent."**

He then vanished, as Snow slammed his fist down on him. The Dark Slayer then appeared above him, and shot down at him with Starfall. Snow struggled to get up, but was then grabbed by Vergil. He lifted Snow above his arms, only to bring the man down onto his knee. Snow cried out in pain, as the knee collided with his back. Vergil merely dropped him to the ground.

Yamato was unsheathed, and quickly collided with the Red Queen. Vergil looked into the eyes of his son, who had also Devil-Triggered into his True Form. They were filled with hate and fury. Nero kicked Vergil away, and EX-Streaked towards him. Vergil Air Tricked away, and then reappeared behind Nero. Before the Son of Vergil could attack again, blood jutted out of his body from the Rapid Slash.

Lightning swung her gunblade downwards, but Vergil only stepped to the side to avoid it. His hand snapped forward, yanked Lightning's head backwards. Before she knew it, Lightning felt a fist strike her gut. The wind was knocked out of her, as another fist connected with her stomach. Vergil then grabbed her head with both hands, and kneed her in the face. The force of the hit caused her to be disoriented, and she fell on her knees. She could taste the blood in her mouth, and could feel some of it escape her right nostril.

The Dark Slayer unsheathed Yamato, and raised it over her head, similar to that of an executioner. However, instead of killing her with it, he used the katana to deflect the oncoming Fire spell. As it dispersed, Vergil's eyes met that of Hope Estheim's.

Hope blinked once, and Vergil had already teleported to him. So fast was the Dark Slayer, that the boy could do nothing as the half-demon grabbed his throat, and lifted him up.

Vergil tightened his grip on both the boy and Yamato. Raising his blade, Vergil looked into the green eyes of the boy he was about to impale.

* * *

><p><em>A girl sobbed into his chest, before looking up at him with her green eyes. They told him that she was both relieved, and angry.<em>

_"Y- You..." she sobbed. "You promised me! You promised that you were never go away!"_

_He smiled at her. "Silly girl. That wasn't what I said."_

_He took her hands into his. "I said that it didn't matter if I went away. I would always be with you."_

_The girl shook her head, not satisfied with his answer. "S- So? What happens if you do leave one day, huh? I... I couldn't..."_

_Suddenly, he cupped her chin to make her look at him. "If I ever did leave, it wouldn't matter. No matter how far I am, or how long it takes, I will always return to you."_

_Then, he kissed her._

* * *

><p>Vergil gasped, as the memory ended. He let go of the boy, and Hope dropped down to his knees.<p>

Hope caught his breath, and then looked up at the half-demon. To his shock, he saw fear in the demon's face.

He then spoke. **"You... You have her eyes..."**

Hope gave Vergil a questioning look. However, before he could ask him what he mean, the half-demon was pulled away by Nero's Spectral Bringer.

Vergil swung his blade at the phantom arm, before teleporting next to his son. Nero swung his durandal, while Vergil parried it. The Son of Sparda struck downwards, but his son held his blade in a defensive position. Both warriors were locked into a stalemate.

Suddenly the ground began to shake.

* * *

><p>-Ground Tier-<p>

Blood surrounded the crystal in the center of the chamber. Then the crystal began to glow an ominous red. Then, a red beam of light shot out to the top of the tower.

* * *

><p>-Apex-<p>

Realizing what was occurring, Vergil kicked Nero away from him, and Air Tricked to the center of the platform, where he reverted back to his human form. Nero fell backwards, and reverted back to his human form as well. Vergil placed Summoned Swords around him, so that none of the other l'Cie could interfere.

Hope was watching the scene in awe, when he heard a moan behind. Looking behind him, he saw that Vanille was finally waking up. Not wasting any time, he ran to her side and instantly began casting Cure.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

The girl rubbed her forehead. "Oww... My head hurts."

Vergil looked up, and saw that the crystals on the pillars began to change from azure blue to blood red.

"Watch, Nero!" he called as he looked at his son. "Watch, and see the opportunity that you foolishly threw away!"

Fang helped Sazh up, while Lightning walked forward. Snow clutched his chest as he stood nect to her.

The Dark Slayer reached for the glove on his right hand, and removed it. Fang squinted her eyes to look at his l'Cie brand, and realized that it was on its tenth stage.

Vergil raised his hand. "Now watch, foolish l'Cie, as I break free from the chains of this curse! No more, shall these shackles connect me to the fal'Cie anymore! I will take back the power that was bestowed upon my father! It is my right as a Son of Sparda!"

"THE POWER OF THE L'CIE WILL BE MINE! AND THROUGH THAT, I WILL BE UNSTOPPABLE!"

Red sparks of electricity surrounded one of the crystals. Then, a red ray of energy struck Vergil's hand. Another shot out from another crystal. More followed suit, until all of the crystals sent beams to the Dark Slayer's brand.

Vergil gritted his teeth, as the energy hit him. He felt all of his energy concentrate on his brand. The man fell on his knees, unable to take the crystal energy.

Nero watched the sight in awe, before looking up. He spotted all of his friends at his sides. They were hurt, but it seemed that they would manage. However, he needed to get them out of there.

Suddenly, Vergil cried out in pain. The man gripped his wrist, as his brand shone in brightly.

In a final burst of red light, the beams finally dispersed.

Vergil's hand went to the floor, to steady himself. The ritual had taken more from him than he anticipated. But he was more interested in the result.

Nero stood up from his spot, as his father got on his knees. Breathing heavily, the man then glanced at his hand, before turning it around to see it. The boy's eyes widened when Vergil's expectant eyes turned into dismayed ones.

"No... NOOOO!"

The group watched as the Som of Sparda slammed his fist to the ground. His palm was open, and Fang noticed that his hand was more detailed.

"The brand... It went to it's twelfth stage!" she announced.

Vergil's eyes eyes snapped at her. "What!?"

Fang glared at him. "Your brand was at its tenth stage before the ritual. It jumped up two stages, though. You only have one more stage, before you go Cie'th."

The half-demon gritted his teeth. "I don't understand... WHY!? Why didn't it work!? I was certain that I had activated it correctly! How..."

Vanille pondered to herself. "Well... Maybe it wasn't the ritual that freed Sparda from the mark."

"What do you mean, Vanille?" Hope questioned.

She looked at the boy. "Well, maybe people thought that it was what freed Sparda. What if it was a miracle?"

Her fellow Pulsian scoffed. "Yeah, Van. Etro blessed him, and freed him from the curse while she was at it."

The girl shrugged. "Maybe she did..."

Nero watched his father, as he was still trying to find out why the ritual had failed. He had never seen the man so helpless.

And that was when he remembered.

Nero walked forward, getting looks from his comrades. He stopped a few feet away from his father.

"Well, well. I guess what goes around does come around," he remarked.

Vergil only snarled.

"But look at you. Weak and helpless. It's exactly how I pictured you would be when you were at my mercy," he commented.

"You did not bring my to my knees, boy!" Vergil snapped.

"You're right. It was your own fault that got you to where you are. And to me, that's just as good." Nero smirked, as he saw his father grit his teeth.

It quickly fell. "Regardless, you're at my mercy. And you should already know what happens now."

Nero took out the Blue Rose, pointed it toward the Dark Slayer, earning gasps from the others.

"You're gonna tell me everything you know about me. Now!" he snapped.

Sazh walked up, albeit weakly. "Son, what are you doing?!"

Nero did not take his eyes off of Vergil. "He knows who my mother is. I'm going to make him spill. And then I'm going to kill him."

"Nero-"

"There is nothing you can say that'll change my mind!" he snapped. "After everything he's done to me and you, Vergil more than deserves death!"

Nero pulled the hammer of his gun. "So I'll say it again: start talking! Who was my mother?"

Vergil simply glared at the boy. Although he was weak and tired, he was not afraid of the boy. And yet... There was something he wanted to know.

"For the last time, ANSWER MY DAMN QUESTION!" Nero demanded.

Vergil blinked once, before looking at Hope. "You. What is your name, boy?"

Nero scowled. "I told you to-"

"The sooner the boy answers my question, the sooner I will answer yours," his father explained.

Nero said nothing for a few seconds. He then looked at Hope, and jerked his head, indicating the boy to go along with the request.

Hope looked at Light, who nodded in agreement. The boy then looked down at the ground, before looking into the eyes of the half-devil.

"M- My name's Hope. Hope Estheim," he answered.

Vergil then narrowed his eyes at him. "I see... Then am I to assume that you are related to Bartholomew Estheim?"

Hope gasped when he heard his father's name. The others, even Nero, had confused looks on their faces.

The boy nodded. "Y- Yes! He's my dad."

Vergil then closed his eyes. "If what you say is true... Then Nora Estheim is your mother."

Nero looked at Hope, before turning back to Vergil. "What the hell does any of that have to do with this?"

The man said nothing, which infuriated him even more. "Answer the question!"

The Dark Slayer's eyes opened, and met Nero's. "Simple. Nora Asimar Estheim is your mother."

* * *

><p><span>Ch. 33: A Father's Truth<span>

Nero's mother is finally revealed: Nora Estheim. Vergil tells his son the story of how they met, what lead to their separation, and other truths about their broken family. When all is said and done, Nero will have to make an important choice: to kill willingly or to let the man who destroyed his life live.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Sorry for the late update.<strong>

**Anyway, I have already posted the updated Prologue in the beginning. Some things have changed, so if you can, reread it, and tell me what you guys think.**

**I'm thinking about changing the rating to M, because what I have planned for the revisions, may include blood and swearing. What do you guys think?**

**Anyway, READ & REVIEW!**


	34. Author's Announcement

**AN: Sorry, guys. I promised myself that I would never upload anything other than a chapter. But unfortunately, this is the exception.**

**I am afraid I will have to put this story on an official hiatus for awhile, but allow me to explain why.**

**I cannot continue this story without rewriting it. There are too many plot holes and not too much character development in the early chapters. And considering all of the new tidbits about people, especially Serah, in Lightning Returns, I feel that I can't even go on to the sequels without adequately giving each character some time to develop. I want to give you guys nothing but the best, so I will be working diligently on these chapters. Since most of my recent chapters are pretty fleshed out, my only obstacles will be the first few chapters.**

**Again, I am sorry this is not the update you guys were hoping for.**

**HOWEVER... I did manage to finish revamping Ch. 1, and have posted it, so you guys can check that out. It is over 9,000 (hehe) words long, with new content, so it is entirely new, in a sense. And, if you haven't already, check out the Revamped Prologue.**

**AGAIN, READ THE REVAMPED PROLOGUE AND CH. 1... And leave me a review telling me what you guys think.**

**So until then, READ & REVIEW!**


	35. Author's Announcement 2

**AN: Hi there, everyone! I hope your Summer's going well so far!**

**I wanted to let you guys know of a few announcements.**

**1. I know have a tumblr page, which I will be posting previews of the next few updated chapters, as well as chapters of Asura's Wrath Reborn. There I will also keep you guys updated on when I've uploaded a Revamped chapter of Devil Fantasy XIII. So if you have a tumblr, follow me at da-awesom-one!**

**2. Chapter 2 has finally been revamped for your viewing pleasure. So go check that out, and leave a review telling me what you guys think!**

**Until then, READ & REVIEW!**


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